


The Prince of Many Colors

by Corinne_Nohrule



Series: The Archipelago’s Mythos [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: I wanted to write this, M/M, One half of the main pairing will even be one of them—-you know which one already XD, Philippine Mythology AU, Simply because it’s my country of origin and I’m fascinated with the mythology here., There will be 3H characters who will be mythical creatures., Urban Fantasy, fairytale AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:49:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 43,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26268262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corinne_Nohrule/pseuds/Corinne_Nohrule
Summary: Dimitri Blaiddyd, a Russian-British student, has lived in the archipelago of the Philippines since his youth, though he’s never got used to the foreign culture. Because of his foreigner status, Dimitri has only made a handful of friends who also share a similar background, plus one local who tries to teach him the language.One day, he encounters a strange looking animal while on his way to one of his classes: a little bird, whose most defining feature is its feathers that boast many colors. Out of pity for the creature, Dimitri takes the time to heal it, and goes on to his class once he’s done.At the same time, he encounters a guy named Claude, a fellow student, who despite being open about his personality, is very enigmatic about his origins. Dimitri’s still determined to know him anyways.Little did he know that it would get stranger for him from here on out.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Series: The Archipelago’s Mythos [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908481
Comments: 95
Kudos: 65





	1. Prologue: To a New School

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Silmarwen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silmarwen/gifts).



> So here it is, guys! A new story series that I’ve been thinking of in my head ever since I first began writing my other story, Where the Wind Blows. I was incredibly inspired by the local folklore and mythos of the country I live in, so I thought I would combine Fire Emblem and Filipino mythology/folklore for this one!
> 
> There will be times when the dialogue will become bilingual, but there will be translations at the end for convenience. 
> 
> With that said, enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri has been given a rude awakening, and all because it turns out that he’s almost late to get to his new university. With some prodding from his dear stepsister (whom he always calls his sister regardless of blood) Edelgard, he gets ready for a new chapter alongside her in a new learning environment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the prologue! Not much happens here aside from Dimitri suffering Late Awakening Syndrome and them experiencing the glaring Manila traffic (I’ve been stuck in there—multiple times.) on their way to their school. For the sake of it, let’s pretend this current crisis isn’t happening in this verse.
> 
> I’m not sure how to insert the gags and references from original FE3H canon, but I’ll try my best to incorporate those.
> 
> With that said, enjoy this little ditty of a prologue.

“Dimitri! Hurry up! You’ll be late for school!”

A groan resounded from underneath the bed’s covers, and a rustling as some blankets were moved off with a tired arm. A blond head popped out first, followed by an upper body leaning against the headrest. The figure, still drowsy as he can be, wiped his eyes. Was he that late for something he has sworn not to be late for?

Maybe a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt—-

“Dimitri! Come on!”

“Alright, alright! Sheesh, El, you’re going to burst my ears...” Dimitri groaned again, fully stretching his arms and sitting himself up on his sky blue bed. His legs scooted on one side of his cot and his feet laid down on the floor, ready to stand and start the day. 

By the door, a girl, brunette with thin purple ribbons decorated on her hair, and already dressed was tapping her foot, impatient.

“You know, it’s a miracle you still managed to pass high school with that kind of sleep schedule you have.” Edelgard deadpanned.

Dimitri stuck his tongue out jest, preparing his clothes for the day. “Only because I have you for an alarm clock, El.”

Edelgard rolled her eyes. “Oh shut up, Dima.” 

“El! Dima! Father’s ready; he’s waiting for you both in the car!”

A voice calling both of their names resounded from below, making Edelgard turn her head to the source. “We’re coming, mom!” 

She turned to her brother once more. “Mom and Dad are waiting, so don’t make them prolong it!”

“Alright, alright...” Dimitri promptly went into the shower in the bathroom, one of the many steps he took to start his day.

—————-

Dimitri, now fully dressed and freshened up, rode the car with his sister, father and mother, looking on at the scenery that he always looked at every morning.

Since his youth, Dimitri has always lived in the bustling and busy streets of Metro Manila. When his father had accepted a job to work in the British Embassy, he naturally brought along Dimitri, his then-new wife Anselma and her daughter, Edelgard with him. They have since settled in McKinley Hill, where they have lived a comfortable life, Dimitri and Edelgard getting formal education since they happened to be in one of the most prestigious places in the entire metro. 

At first, Dimitri didn’t really get the whole customs and general shtick of the locals who lived in Metro Manila, but overtime, he had mostly gotten used to them. Even so, he still couldn’t shake off the fact that there were some local folk who couldn’t help but stare at his general...foreignness, with his fair skin, blue eyes and blonde hair that wasn’t common in the country. Edelgard also got some stares from others, though it wasn’t as glaring as Dimitri’s case.

Now that he had finished high school, he and Edelgard were ready to take on the next chapter of their lives: college. Specifically, in a private university located just in the district of Sampaloc, in the City of Manila. Far Eastern University, his father said, one of the leading schools for accountancy and business. Even if it was nice for them to get to enter one of the universities in the country, Dimitri couldn’t help but wonder why it had to be a fair distance away from their home in Taguig.

“Dad, I don’t regret picking this university and all, but...” Dimitri began, still gazing out from the car window. “...I didn’t know it would be this far.”

His father chuckled from the driver’s seat. “Oh, don’t worry about it, son. Besides, it’s around 30 minutes to get there at most.”

“Well, it is 30 minutes at most...without traffic.” Edelgard pointed out. Her hand extended to gesture at the long line of cars and other assorted vehicles at her side. “Look at this! It’s such a pain to wait for them to move.”

Of course. The traffic. It was something that they had to get used to overtime. The whole thing was an inconvenience, yes, but with not much they can do about it, the only option was to wait it out while they were on the road. 

“Cheer up, El! At least we get to speak about how excited we are that you and Dima are reaching a new part of your lives!” Their mother cheered. “Lambert! Let’s tell them some stories to keep them entertained, yes?”

Dimitri yawned just as she mentioned those words, waving apologetically. “You go do that, mother...I’m getting tired and looking at the same cars won’t help.”

His eyes drooped down, and with some words from Edelgard that he couldn’t hear from his tiredness, Dimitri fell asleep.

———————

“...Dimitri...”

The teen groaned. Who was calling him now when sleep was a nice place to stay in? He snugged closer to the window, his hair getting tousled from his head rubbing against it.

The voice from earlier sighed, and next thing he knew, he got an earful. “We’re here! Fix yourself now!”

He jumped from his seat, rubbing at his eyes. “Wh-What...” His eyes cleared up a bit to see Edelgard, his father and his mother looking at him silly. 

“O-Oh right. Sorry.”

His fingers moved to fix the fringes of his blonde hair, arranging them in that particular style he always preferred. Afterwards, he got his belongings, and with a kiss goodbye from both his parents, Dimitri was ready to set foot in this new university waiting for him. He had his feet stand before the gates, Edelgard following close by to accompany him. 

The sapphire of his eyes looked at the building next to the gate. Despite the heat and sometimes smoky air that passed by from vehicles, there was the yellow glow of the main administration building, with faint traces of green.

Edelgard popped up next to him, a plucky smile present on her lips. “Are you ready for this, Dimitri?”

Dimitri took a deep breath. This was really happening; he never would’ve thought that he would be taking his higher education in somewhere different and new, let alone in a foreign country. However, a new chapter always brought new opportunities, and maybe he could really get to familiarize himself with horizons he never thought he could cross.

He turned to Edelgard, a wistful smile forming.

“Never have I been so ready for this. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is where I’ll post information about stuff that may seem unfamiliar to readers. Case in point:  
> -McKinley Hill: a location within Fort Bonifacio/Bonifacio Global City best known for its scenic neighborhood and proximity to nearby leisure areas. Named after US President William McKinley.
> 
> -Bonifacio Global City: a district in Taguig that went from a former army base to a bustling business and lifestyle zone. 
> 
> -Sampaloc: a district in the capital of Manila that houses many of the city’s universities, one of them being one of the major settings for this story, Far Eastern University. For this reason, Sampaloc is called the city’s University Belt.
> 
> -Far Eastern University: One of the settings for this tale. Known for being one of the first universities founded by a local Filipino rather than a religious order. The logo of this university is actually a major spoiler for this, so research on your own accord and risk.
> 
> Anyways, feel free to give feedback, as usual! :)


	2. Meeting Some New Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and Edelgard take their first steps into the University, and already they receive some welcome company in the form of the trio of Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix, who willingly show them around.
> 
> Later, Dimitri gets his first taste of learning an unfamiliar language, but the kind and accommodating demeanor of his new teacher thankfully makes it easier for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s Chapter 1! I’m pretty sure I got way too ecstatic about writing this since I wanted to do this piece for a while.  
> Anyways, University has begun for our characters! I partially based this on my experiences when I first entered Uni as a freshman (I study in a different college, in a different city here.)
> 
> So, enjoy this new addition!

Dimitri and Edelgard set foot into the university for the first time, and needless to say, they were in awe of just big the open space was. Trees surrounded most of the walkways in the open area, with plenty of green grass covering the remaining grounds.

At the center of it all was a square, with sculptures on display and a tall flagpole next to it. Edelgard pulled out her brochure, one that she kept ever since she and her brother were first introduced to this place via a college fair.

“So that place over there is a memorial square dedicated to this school’s founder.” Edelgard read. “Depicts the importance of education, freedom and justice.” When she saw that Dimitri was looking elsewhere, she let out a sigh. “You know, it would help if you showed at least a tiny bit of interest for the school’s history itself.”

Dimitri placated his hands. “Hey! I am interested. It’s just that I have to look for the building for my first class.” He chuckled, apologetic. “I really could use some help.”

As if on cue, a group of people noticed the two standing, and one of them called them with a holler. “Looks like you could use some help!”

Huh. Guess Dimitri’s words blessed him after all. Edelgard even gave him a bewildered stare at this.

“What? I didn’t even predict that would happen, El!” He laughed.

With that aside, the group from earlier approached the siblings, and Dimitri noted that they were...colorful to say the least. Case in point, one was red headed, another had blonde locks and there was another in the group who had dark hair that looked violet under the sunlight. The three of them, from what he could tell with the IDs worn on their necks, were also students of Far Eastern.

“It’s nice to have some new faces around here!” The redheaded guy laughed, jubilant to have some company around. He extended a hand. “The name’s Sylvain, Business Major student.” 

Dimitri willingly grabbed Sylvain’s hand for an amicable handshake. “Pleased to meet you, Sylvain. I’m Dimitri.” The blonde then gestured to the rest of the group. “And they are...?”

“Oh! I’m Ingrid, a Tourism and Management Majors student.” The other blonde, the sole lady in the group introduced. She then gestured to the violette, who hasn’t exactly said a word since they first approached Dimitri and Edelgard. “And this is Felix...well, he doesn’t exactly like to socialize much, but he is really kindhearted when you get to fully know him.”

“Oh piss off.” The guy, now known as Felix uttered out. It didn’t sound too repulsive, but it wasn’t a nice tone either. Sylvain only laughed at the other’s words. 

“You’ll get used to it. Anyways...” His eyes turned to Edelgard, still standing by Dimitri’s side. “May I know who the lovely lady is?”

“Sylvain, we talked about this...” Ingrid warned. “Don’t get too comfortable.”

“Trust me, I just want to know her!” The redhead retorted. “So, who is she?”

Dimitri gestured to his sister. “Right, so this is my sister, Edelgard. She and I applied for this university together.”

“Ooh! Sibling goals! I like that.” Sylvain chanted. 

Edelgard chuckled. “Oh, I just want to fulfill my dreams...and lookout for my little brother while doing it.”

Ingrid’s eyes went wide from that fact. “Wait, you’re the older sibling?”

“I am.” The light brunette responded, her eyebrows almost lowering to form a glare at Dimitri. “I still can’t believe people don’t figure out that I’m the older one.”

Dimitri rolled his eyes, playful. His lips made a teasing smirk. “Maybe you should’ve jumped higher everytime we celebrated New Years here. Our neighbors said it was a good strategy to get taller.” That local tradition was one of the few that Dimitri was actually familiar with and even participated in...if only to get the tall person privileges that it warranted over his little big sister.

Edelgard punched her brother by the shoulder. “You’re no fun, Dima, you know that?” 

The blonde brushed off that hit. Jokes about their height difference despite their chronological ages never got old.

“Anyways, we have to get to our first class...and we have yet to be familiar with the place.” Edelgard informed the trio in front of them, who only beamed.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that! The three of us would be happy to show you around!” Sylvain cheered, beginning to walk towards the main hall in front of them. “Come along now! There’s stuff you have to see!”

Dimitri and Edelgard looked at each other, and shrugged. Guess they had to follow them for the full university tour.

Without much prodding, the two siblings entered the hall, and so began their university life, officially.

———————————

After taking in the main landmarks, buildings, and sights of the entire Far Eastern campus, Dimitri and Edelgard got to know more about the place. There were building dedicated to the university’s different schools of learning, such as one dedicated to Nursing, another for Law, and so on. The official sports mascot for Far Eastern was this animal called a Tamaraw, which according to Ingrid, lived in an island called Mindoro. She also commented on how their species has been threatened because of their small numbers, and how a pity it was as they were among the most intelligent and pugnacious animals on earth.

The official University colors were green and gold, it was one of the first higher education institutions made by a Filipino, and so on and so forth. Frankly, it fascinated the siblings on just how rich in culture this place was. If they attended another international based school, they would’ve definitely missed out on this kind of tour.

“So, that concludes the tour!” Sylvain concluded, stopping by a room, presumably the first classroom for the day. “Any questions?” He directed his gaze to the shorter of the two siblings. “Edelgard?”

“None that I can think of, so I’m settled.” Edelgard affirmed.

“Dimitri?” Ingrid inquired.

“I’m good as well.” Dimitri shook his head. “I think we’re ready to attend our classes. My first subject is...” He pulled out the slip of paper that had his schedule inscribed. The corners of his lips turned down. “...Oh.”

Edelgard got curious as to her brother’s sudden shift in mood. “What is it, Dima?”

“I have Language as my first subject of the day...and the language is the local tongue.” He groaned. The teen thought that he escaped the tribulation that was learning a foreign language...well he thought wrong.

The brunette cackled at this. “Oh, brother dear...it was inevitable that you’ll have to learn Filipino. It’s practically a requirement!”

“Easy for you to say, you’re better at it than I.” Dimitri complained, crossing his arms.

Okay, there was one privilege that Edelgard had over him, and it was her adeptness in learning the local tongue. She was the one who made it into a task to fulfill, and by the time they rolled around for University admissions, she had already known the basic conversational words of the language. 

How utterly skilled she was.

“Anyways, I’m certain you’ll have some help in this class.” Edelgard said, looking at the sign on the door. “The kind of language class we are attending is Special Filipino, so we’ll get lessons that won’t be too difficult for us.”

“Yep! I still have to master it too.” Sylvain admitted. “If I do, I’ll be able to add ‘fluent in Filipino’ as my part of my credentials.”

“Yes, the credentials that _you_ think would make girls swoon.” Ingrid stated flatly.

“Give me a chance, Ingrid! There’s nothing more romantic than learning the language of love.”

“That’s French, you dumbass.” Felix countered, his tone still rough from his demeanor. Sylvain ignored him.

“Anyways, let’s get started on our day!” The redhead whooped, entering the classroom with the rest following suit. 

——————————

Interestingly, the classroom’s inhabitants were also those from diverse and international backgrounds, with one guy in particular who had a strange penchant for saying his full name when introducing himself to most of his new classmates. (Judging from the name itself, that other guy with orange locks was probably from Europe.) There was air conditioning, comfortable enough for Dimitri to sit in a suitable spot near the front. 

The door to the classroom opened, prompting the students to get to their seats. A man entered the classroom, having silver hair despite his face being relatively young in appearance. He was holding a stack of papers, and a folder. 

Once he placed them down on the teacher’s desk in front, he greeted the class.

“Magandang umaga! Ako po ay magiging iyong bagong guro para sa paksa ng Special Filipino.”

Pretty much everybody replied to his words with silence. 

“Oh, sorry about that...I forgot that you guys aren’t fluent in it.” The teacher chuckled. “Don’t worry, there will be some English so that you won’t be completely lost.” Sighs of relief spread across the classroom. 

He then pulled out a whiteboard marker, and wrote down his name on the board. It read ‘Mr. Dedue Molinaro’ in clear print.

“My name is Dedue Molinaro.” The teacher introduced. “Ang pangalan ko ay Dedue Molinaro.” He gave a kind smile. “What I just said was the Filipino translation of the original English sentence I made. So that is what you’ll be facing when you’re taking this subject; basic skills in conversational Filipino, and translations in between to harness the bilingualism.”

Dimitri, along with the rest of the class, pulled out their notebooks and pens. Classes have officially begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation:  
> “Magandang umaga! Ako po ay magiging iyong bagong guro para sa paksa ng Special Filipino.” - “Good morning! I am going to be your new teacher for the Special Filipino subject.”
> 
> Additional Notes:  
> Jumping up high at the start of the New Year - a common Filipino tradition that kids normally do, believing that it will help them grow taller for the incoming year.
> 
> Tamaraw- Scientific name is Bubalus mindorensis. An animal endemic to the island of Mindoro, and is also called the Mindoro dwarf buffalo. The only endemic Philippine bovine, and currently critically endangered, only found in certain areas in its native island.


	3. The Injured Little Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri has since fallen into a little routine for his University Life, spending more time with the trio who befriended him and his sister, as well as becoming familiar with a few other students in passing.
> 
> One day, after he spends his break with Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix, he goes on his way to History class when he encounters a mysterious little bird with gold plumage, yet is assorted with many colors on the rest of itself. Upon discovering that the bird is injured, Dimitri goes out of his way to heal it.  
> That sight of the bird leaves an impression on him, even if his encounter with it was brief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next part! So this is where the fantasy aspect comes in: Dimitri meets a bird unlike any bird he’s ever seen!   
> I won’t disclose the name of the bird’s species, since one, our main character is unaware that it even has a name, and two, I just like to make things more mysterious for myself and the fellow readers out there :)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy reading this new addition!

Since that first class from his first day, Dimitri fell into a routine of sorts whenever he had school days to attend. He and his sister Edelgard would ride together with their parents to Far Eastern University, with the latter emphasizing that they sleep early to skip most of the morning traffic. Then they went to their classes, usually accompanied by their new found friends from the first day, Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix. Along the way, they have also encountered new classmates from different classes, like a charming lady named Dorothea who sings for the University’s choir and is often fond of sitting near the fountain to practice her songs.

The aforementioned classmate who never hesitated to say his full name, Ferdinand Aegir, was a literature enthusiast and tea connoisseur who often stayed in Starbucks to study. Dimitri also remembered a person who was in his another class of his, Fine Arts, a fair young guy named Ignatz who loved to paint the landscape of Far Eastern’s open space.

He was currently seated at a table with Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix, eating up their meals in their break time. According to their Special Filipino teacher, Mr. Molinaro, the term for snack was merienda. When it came to encouraging the class to try and say the word, the reactions were mixed to say the least. In fact, while they were seated together, they were discussing the incident in question.

“Can’t believe that was so hard to say!” Sylvain whined. “It bested my tongue.”

“Ew. No. Don’t say it like that again.” Felix grunted, taking a bite of his Hansel. “But yeah, it was difficult for most of us to say it in the proper sound.”

“Did you guys even hear how Ferdinand said it? He said it as ‘marry-enda’!” Ingrid cackled, recalling the memory. Yes, that pronunciation was so atrocious that the whole class took half an hour to recover from that moment. Now the group of friends had some potential blackmail material for the self-declared ‘tea expert’. 

Dimitri laughed along throughout the exchange. “It was a funny one indeed. Only Edelgard and Linhardt didn’t get it wrong the first time.” Despite the pronunciation fiasco, Mr. Molinaro didn’t hold it against Ferdinand; if anything, he had actually told them that it was okay to laugh at their mishaps in saying certain words. 

“What matters,” he said in the class, “is that eventually, kakayanin mo.” Now Dimitri didn’t get those last phrase, but he settled with the idea that his teacher was being encouraging.

That aside, Edelgard went to Dimitri’s table to give him a heads-up. “Hey, Dima! Our next class starts in 15 minutes—wouldn’t want to be late to it!” She then left the eating area to head there straight.

“Ever the punctual sibling.” Dimitri mused with a nostalgic smile. He wouldn’t know what to do without her; she was the reason he mostly kept himself grounded despite being in a mostly unfamiliar environment.

Their next class in question was History, which was a favorite subject that the siblings shared. Knowing that his upcoming class was going to be fun, Dimitri stood up from his desk and said his farewells to his friends. “I’ll be going now; El will be very upset if I arrive to class even a minute late.”

“Oh, it’s fine! Besides, we’ve also got a class to attend to as well.” Sylvain assured. “And our classroom is near this cafeteria, so that means plenty of time to wait for pretty ladies to come by and—-ow!”

“Sylvain, not again with the skirt chasing antics.” Ingrid pulled his ear. “Believe me, there’s no time for what the local students here call ‘chickboy’ stuff. Our next class is especially important; we can’t afford to be late.”

Felix only looked on at the little spat with a roll of his eyes, going back to checking his apps on his iPhone.

Dimitri let the trio do their thing, and then proceeded to make his way to the Law Building.

————————-

On his route to the Law Building, he had to cross the open area with the grandstand and the memorial square. As the blonde made his way across the memorial, he spotted something that caught his eye. Dimitri thought he saw a flash of gold hide behind one of the trees at the open space. When he came up with nothing, he shrugged and went on his way again.

Only for something to rustle in the leaves on the ground. Dimitri’s head perked up again to check what was the source. Another rustling sound from a nearby tree, and Dimitri was sure that there was something definitely moving on the campus. 

He turned a corner from another tree, and what he saw had him stunned to his feet.

It was a bird, a small one at that. The bird was as big as a chicken, but it didn’t certainly didn’t resemble one at some of its parts. It had a crown of curled wispy feathers atop its head, colored scarlet. It’s body was a gradient of different shades of yellow, reaching to its legs. Though what the bird so different from the ordinary ones Dimitri used to see are its feathers around its wings and tail. They were assorted in a kaleidoscope of color, reminiscent of a rainbow. 

It took Dimitri a while to realize that the little creature was holding out its wing, and upon closer inspection, saw that it had a wound on its flap. From the dried blood surrounding the gash, it seemed like the bird had this injury for a while now.

Dimitri’s heart broke at the sight. There was an injured bird, and no one seemed to notice it holding its wing out in pain. He decided that it wouldn’t be the case anymore, not when he had something to do about it.

“You poor little one...” Dimitri cooed, rubbing gently at the injured wing. The bird appeared to wince at first from the gesture, but visibly, and slowly, began to relax from Dimitri’s gentle massage. 

“I wonder how you got hurt?...Well, it wouldn’t matter because I’ll treat you right away.” Pushing a hand into his pocket, Dimitri pulled out a sky blue handkerchief, and grabbed his water bottle. He spritzed some water onto the cloth, dampening it, and then wrapped it around the bird’s wound. Dimitri’s ears caught the bird chirping in delight, a beautiful sound if he’s ever heard one.

A moment later, Dimitri made a full knot with the ends of his handkerchief, fully covering the bird’s wound. The little avian made a flick of its wing, as if inspecting it, then gazed up at Dimitri’s eyes with awe, as if it was trying to express its gratitude to the teen. Dimitri grinned, kneeling on his knee, patting the bird on the head.

“You’re welcome, little bird.” He rose up to his feet. “I must go now. I hope you’ll get better!” Dimitri immediately rushed on to the Law Building, but not before catching a glimpse at the rainbow bird’s eyes. They shone a bright green, complimenting its golden plumage and assortment of colored feathers and tail. He was drawn to the sight, it being almost...alluring in a way, until he remembered that he had a class. 

“Shoot! I really have to go!”

Then he rushed to his intended destination at last, leaving behind the treated bird.

————————

Dimitri burst through the door to his History class, panting to catch his breath. Nearby, Edelgard, who was already seated, raised an eyebrow at her brother’s sudden manner of entry.

“Dima? Why were you running?” Edelgard inquired, helping her brother catch his breath by rubbing his back. 

Dimitri looked at his watch. Only five minutes before class began, what a relief. “Good, I didn’t lose too much of my time.”

“Lose time? What are you talking about? What got you to rush?” Edelgard got even more curious with every word Dimitri was uttering with his panting breath. 

Dimitri inhaled a huge gulp of air, and spoke as clearly as possible. “I saw an injured bird, and I felt sorry for it so I treated its wound.”

So that’s what it was. Edelgard pat her brother’s head affectionately. “Oh Dima...you always have time to be kind...” 

Edelgard couldn’t help but reminisce; when she first got into the Blaiddyd family as her stepfather’s new daughter and Dimitri’s new stepsister, she did feel reclusive at first out of fear that they were judging her for being from a different family. However, those worries were put to rest when Dimitri actually initiated befriending her, and soon they began to spend time with each other and stay side-by-side with everything they ever did. 

Their move to the Philippines didn’t hinder their bond, as they were more motivated to help each other find their way in an unfamiliar land and its culture. From the simple gestures they treated one another with now, she knew that her relationship with Dimitri had come a long way.

Though she had enough with the nostalgia, as she got Dimitri’s attention with her next words. “Okay, find your seat because our History professor is on their way now!”

Dimitri fully stood up and scooted to his usual seat, one that was near the board and had a clear view. The entire classroom went silent once the door opened to reveal their professor. He had graying hair, with a mustache and glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. With the coldness of the room, he wore an overcoat that a touch of faux fur on the collar.

“Good afternoon, class.” The professor greeted.

“Afternoon, Mr. Hanneman.” The class returned in kind, though they didn’t sound too enthusiastic. But Mr. Hanneman seemed to ignore that in favor of proceeding to the lesson plan.

“Okay, everyone, today we will be discussing the first missionaries to the islands. This will be the Augustinians, Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscan, and Seiros Order of Missionaries—-“

“Wait, there isn’t a Seiros Order.” Caspar, a classmate with the lightest blue hair, raised his hand.

“Of course there’s no Order of Seiros; I was testing to see if you were paying attention from the last lesson, and Caspar was the only one who pointed it out, so congratulations to you.” Mr. Hanneman commended, causing Caspar to fist pump the air.

“That aside, let’s begin the lesson...”

So the whole class brought out their subject materials, taking notes and listening to the anecdotes related to the lesson at hand. However, even if Dimitri was looking at the PowerPoint screen, his eyes only focused on the emeralds that were ingrained into his psyche. The little bird’s eyes...they radiated into his mind, the brightness of their color making such an impression in his memory.

He wondered, while he took down some notes, if he would ever see the little bird again at some point.

Dimitri sighed, mentally berating himself for a matter as simple as this.

A part of him couldn’t believe he has just gotten so curious about something he’s met for only a few minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> -“Kakayanin mo.” - “You can.”
> 
> Additional Notes:  
> -Hansel: a brand of biscuit popular in the Philippines; a common snack and it’s affordable to buy in different flavors, from butter to chocolate.
> 
> -Chickboy: local term for a ladies man.
> 
> -Missionaries in the Philippines: there were 4 Missionary Orders that arrived when the Philippines was formally colonized by Spain in 1565: the Augustinians, followed by the Franciscans, then the Jesuits, and the Dominicans.


	4. At First Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing off from the last chapter, Dimitri and Edelgard have finished their classes for the day, looking forward to the weekend. While waiting to be fetched by their parents, they meet up and exchange words with a classmate, Ferdinand Aegir.
> 
> After that, the siblings proceed to leave, but without Dimitri discovering that he left an important valuable behind. In his rush to get it, he gets a chance encounter with someone that leaves him enthralled at first sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part is here, and hoo boi, this is where we meet the other main guy for this story!
> 
> Claude’s last name will be different in this fic (reason being that he’s a local Filipeep for this one), but I picked a surname that still goes in line with his original. (Which you’ll see later)
> 
> With that said, enjoy the new addition! :)

It took some time, but the History class was finally over. Dimitri and Edelgard had learned some things about the Philippines’ early colonial years, beginning with the missionaries that arrived on the islands. Mr. Hanneman also lectured about the origins of the famed Sto. Niño, an religious icon of Cebu, located south in the Visayas Isles. 

“Next meeting, we will be learning about Legazpi and Urdaneta. So remember to research on them beforehand so that we can have an easier time discussing them!” Mr. Hanneman called to his students, who were filling out the door.

“We will!” The students chorused, Dimitri and Edelgard included.

Once the two siblings made it out, they talked among themselves about what to do next. 

“Do we wait for mom and dad to get here and pick us up? There’s still a lot of time on our hands to do something.” Dimitri discussed.

Edelgard shrugged, unsure. “Hmm...we could do some studying—-“

“—After we just had information overload from our professors today? I can’t, I need to relax.” The blonde retorted. Though he didn’t look like it, Dimitri really was burned out from the long hours they had in their school day. The many lessons they had to remember, down to the assignments that just felt like they were announced one day after another...

At this point, he was just glad that it was going to be the weekend tomorrow.

“...Okay, then. No schoolwork because of the risk of burnout.” Edelgard affirmed. “So, let’s get some food from outside, then we’ll go back to get the stuff we need from our lockers, and then call it for the weekend. Sound good.”

“Yeah.”

——————————-

With that settled, Dimitri and Edelgard proceeded to the Starbucks located across the University, where they ordered some glazed donuts and iced chocolate milk drinks. While they were waiting, a voice called out to them.

“Hey! You’re from the same Special Filipino class as I am!”

The two pivoted their heads to see a familiar orange-headed young man, carrying a laptop and a takeout cup. He seemed to be busy, or at least he was, judging from the amount of notebooks and papers he carried under one of his arms.

Dimitri’s face lit up in recognition. “Oh! It’s you, Ferdinand!”

“It is me, my friends!” Ferdinand exclaimed jubilantly, taking a spare seat from the side and placing it on an empty side of the table not occupied by Edelgard or Dimitri’s seats. “So, what’s going on?”

Dimitri gave a blunt shrug. “Nothing much, we just want to eat what we ordered and prepare ourselves before our parents arrive to fetch us.”

Ferdinand then began to laugh, but it wasn’t for the sake of being mean. However Edelgard couldn’t help but ask, “What’s funny?”

“Oh, it’s nothing mean!” Ferdinand said in defense, even placating his hands to prove it. “Just that I’m surprised you still have your parents carpooling you guys to campus.”

Edelgard rolled her eyes, albeit with an underlying fondness to it. “Well, that’s what Mom insisted, not us. Dimitri and I could’ve learned how to use public transport around here, but...”

“...But Mom always said that the public transportation vehicles are always crowded and it doesn’t suit us to stay in a situation where we might get lost.” Dimitri added. “I’m pretty sure she meant well, but she can’t coddle us forever.”

Edelgard nodded in agreement to her brother’s words. “He’s right. At some point, we’ll eventually learn how to get from one place to another without our parent’s supervision.”

The two siblings weren’t wrong on that regard; since they lived in a fancy place like McKinley Hill for most of their stay in the country, it meant that the malls and other stores and restaurants were only a walk away, which was why Dimitri and Edelgard’s parents didn’t interfere much about where they were traveling.

But now that they were studying in a place that was actually a city away from their home, their parents insisted that they ride with them in the car on the way to University. Though Edelgard, being the responsible sibling that she is, was secretly studying the routes and available public transport stations so that they can start their next step of becoming responsible adults.

“That’s nice to hear.” Ferdinand nodded, taking a sip of his tea. “Familiarizing yourself with the stations and streets while commuting does help in getting around.”

A barista promptly came to their table, holding up the tray of the siblings’ orders, and unable to hold back, Dimitri and Edelgard savored their meal, eating every last bit of their glazed donuts and drank every last drip of their iced milk drinks.

————————————

After that was all done, the two waved goodbye to Ferdinand, who approached the side of another student who had part of his black hair hide one side of his face. Hubert, Dimitri remembered correctly, the mostly-silent guy who only talked if he was asked or had someone borrow an item from him. Other than that, he usually had a creepy demeanor about him, and for some reason, Ferdinand wasn’t afraid to approach him like earlier, and Dimitri had to give props to the redhead for that.

While Ferdinand and his companion were walking on to another direction, Edelgard and Dimitri proceeded to cross back to their school. The latter was walking, relaxed, even placing his hand on the front of his pocket to—-wait.

Dimitri’s eyes went wide when he was unable to feel the shape of his wallet. His hands pat all of his pockets, and it confirmed what he thought happened.

“I forgot my wallet back in the cafe!” Dimitri sputtered, his voice frantic. He turned around and made a beeline back to Starbucks. 

“Dima, be careful! Watch where you’re running!” Edelgard called out.

Though it seemed like Dimitri didn’t appear to have listened to his sister’s warning, as he was so intent on getting his wallet back, that he didn’t consider the others walking across in his view. Then, once he had reached Starbucks’ entrance, Dimitri only caught the door opening, but not the person who opened it. With limited awareness, Dimitri bumped into the other person, causing him to get recoiled from the impact and hit the ground with his bottom.

“Ouch!” “Aray!”

Dimitri and the other person exclaimed in pain. Now Dimitri became aware of the other guy who he had bumped into. Out of remorse, Dimitri got up and offered a repentant apology.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t know where I was looking!” Dimitri apologized. “Here, let me help you up...” 

His hand extended to the person across from him, still at the floor from getting hit at his front. The mystery guy, to Dimitri’s relief, saw the offer of aid, and clutched Dimitri’s hand, helping himself up. 

As a result of Dimitri getting a better look at the other, he noticed a lot of things about the guy. Firstly, he had dark brown hair, with a portion of it styled in a small braid to the side. His complexion was of a brown shade, much like most of the locals that Dimitri had encountered before. With a mostly yellow hoodie with green details, and an ID worn around his neck, Dimitri guessed that he was another college student, either from Far Eastern or another nearby university. Then the blonde had a good look at the mystery guy’s face; that’s when he noticed that the guy had radiant hazel eyes, and against the light shining on them now, they looked a little green. 

Dimitri could only look at the stranger, held spellbound by the vibrancy of the other teen’s eyes that he can clearly see...

...Yet, he was so distracted, that he almost didn’t hear the other guy speaking to him.

“...Hoy! Nagpapasalamat ako sa’yo! Naririnig mo ba ako?”

Dimitri went back to reality, embarrassed by the fact that he was being rude by staring the brunette teen for so long. 

“So sorry...I don’t understand what you just said...” 

The mystery guy could only raise an eyebrow at Dimitri’s statement for a bit, until he understood Dimitri’s little language issue.

“Sandali, hindi ikaw matatas sa Filipino?” The brunette looked ashamed on his end. “Ah, ganoon pala...”

Still puzzled by what the words meant, Dimitri sighed in relief when the mystery guy switched to a language that he could definitely respond to.

“Anyways, sorry about that little mishap. I should have known from that confused face you made that you didn’t get what I said.” He winked at the blonde; Dimitri swore his heart leapt in his chest for a split second. His hand then held out a little cerulean item. “So I’m guessing that this wallet is yours? I looked at the picture inside, sorry about that.” 

“N-No, it’s fine!” Dimitri assured. If anything, the blonde was relieved that the mystery teen found what he left behind. His hands moved to receive the wallet and place it in his pocket, where it rightfully belonged. “Thank you, truly. My parents would’ve berated me for losing a valuable.”

Mystery boy laughed; an affable one, but it did make Dimitri smile a bit more than he should. The brunette then gave a tiny, friendly smirk. “I understand. It’s not fun when you lose something you can’t afford to part with.”

The brunette teen in yellow proceeded to take his leave, flicking up his arm to make a quick wave. Dimitri raised his arm to wave at him in return, but he remembered something.

“Wait! I haven’t gotten your name!” Dimitri shouted, then stopped himself. Might as well give some courtesy by introducing himself first. “I am Dimitri Blaiddyd...May I know yours?”

The other teen paused, and for a moment, looked like he was deliberating with himself on it. Though it was rendered insignificant as mystery guy spoke up to respond.

“Claude. Claude Radiamoda. And your name, Dimitri...sounds unique.”

With one more smile, Claude waved goodbye, presumably to take care of his own business. Dimitri couldn’t help but watch the other walk away; he felt this something, namely, the desire to know this guy better since those first minutes with him all but made him interested. He also had a feeling that it wouldn’t be the last time that he would be encountering this teen he just met.

“...Dimitri...Dimitri!”

A voice snapped him out of his reverie. To his side, there was Edelgard, huffing and catching her breath from catching up to her brother. She punched him in the arm, making him flinch a bit.

“I told you to be careful on where you were looking while running!” She berated, her anger not intending to hurt him. “Then you were just standing there after you bumped into somebody, what was that for?”

Dimitri chuckled, feeling bashful for that stunt. “I’m sorry, El—but Claude was kind enough to return my wallet.”

Edelgard raised a brow. “Claude?”

“The guy I bumped into by accident earlier. I think he’s a student like the both of us, since I saw an ID around him.”

“I see...” Edelgard then grabbed Dimitri by the arm. “Come on, Dima, let’s get our stuff from University, then meet up with Mom and Dad. They’ve just texted me earlier; they’re on their way here now.”

Dimitri let his sister guide him as they brisk walked their way back to the University gates, then to their lockers to fetch their schoolwork and other important stuff. After they were done, the two went out to see their Dad’s car waiting for them by the gate. Taking their spots in the back seats, the siblings finally left with their parents, on the route back to McKinley Hill.

While Lambert and Anselma were speaking with Edelgard about the things that transpired in their day, Dimitri remained silent, only nodding occasionally. He wasn’t really in the mood to speak about things at the moment, not when the car’s movement was rocking him to sleep.

Before he slipped into a blissful state of rest, Dimitri caught a flash of hazel-green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> -“...Hoy! Nagpapasalamat ako sa’yo! Naririnig mo ba ako?” - “Hey! I’m thanking you! Can you hear me?”
> 
> -“Sandali, hindi ikaw matatas sa Filipino?” - “Wait, you’re not fluent in Filipino?”
> 
> -“Ah, ganoon pala...” - “I see...”
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> Legazpi and Urdaneta: Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Andres de Urdaneta. The two were major figures in the establishment of the Spanish East Indies (today known as the Philippines, of course). The former was a navigator who became the East Indies’ first Governor General, while the latter was an Augustinian friar that made the west-to-east route that would later be the foundation for the Galleon Trade between the East Indies and New Spain (Mexico).
> 
> The surname Radiamoda: It means “youthful or juvenile king” or simply “young king”. This surname was traditionally used by ancient kings or their heirs in pre-colonial Philippines, particularly in the south. It goes in line with Claude’s original family name, Riegan, which means “little king”.


	5. With the Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri spends his Saturday with his group of friends in the Venice Grand Canal Mall nearby his home. They have a little walk around, even getting some nice shots of the Mall’s bridge.
> 
> Then when they opt to ride one of the gondolas, Dimitri meets a mishap that supposed to make him fall—-but it doesn’t, strangely. By some weird luck, he prevents an embarrassing situation.
> 
> However, at the end of that incident, he receives an unexpected gift from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next part is here! The gang (plus a surprise student) gets to go a mall (I can’t in the real world because of health protocols)! This mall in question is one I actually went to before, twice.
> 
> Also, since this fic takes place first during September, that means Ber Months customs will definitely apply. (You’ll see what it means later.)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the new addition to the story! :D

Saturday couldn’t have come at a better time.

After the long day yesterday called Friday, Dimitri found a period of respite for today and tomorrow. He was particularly excited at this time, since their parents gave them the go signal to hang out with their college friends. The excitement was a lot for him to take on, especially since it had been a while since he had hung out with someone, let alone with other people. Prior to his university life, it was always his sister Edelgard who was his mall—and pretty much any other location—companion.

Now that he had a trio of people who saw him as a friend (despite Felix not saying it outright because of his attitude), Dimitri was truly optimistic for this Saturday’s day out.

Putting on his best sweater, a navy blue sweater with a small logo of a lion printed above its left chest, he tugged it, ensuring that it didn’t look too snug on him. Then he grabbed a comb and styled his hair in that usual arrangement for his blonde locks. While Dimitri didn’t pinpoint precisely why he was being meticulous about his preparation for his day out (since it’s not the first time he’s gone to this mall that their friends have chosen to go to), things like this had him very on guard with how he’ll carry himself for this first outing with a group of friends.

Edelgard came up to his doorway, an amused smile resting on her lips with her watching her brother be so precise with his preparation.

“I couldn’t remember the last time you were very serious about getting ready for something.”

“As long as that something isn’t school, I don’t rush.” Dimitri retorted, sticking his tongue out despite not looking at Edelgard.

“Hush, you.” Edelgard scolded mockingly, letting her shoulder rest against the doorframe. 

After a few more minutes of Dimitri combing his hair, he put it down, satisfied with the result. “I’m ready and I feel new.”

“That’s the same hairstyle you always make there, brother.” Edelgard deadpanned.

“Still new!”

Then a sound of a car horn was heard from Dimitri’s bedroom window. The two siblings went to gaze out from the window’s opening and found a red-green car just parked outside of their house. 

The horn honked again, with the addition of a redheaded guy wearing sunglasses popping out of his car door. 

“Hey, are you guys ready? Me and the gang are all here!”

Dimitri reached his head out of the window, cupping a hand against his mouth as he hollered his reply. “Will be there, Sylvain! Won’t take long!”

Guess that was a good enough wake up call, as Dimitri and Edelgard quickly put on their shoes and then rushed downstairs to catch up with them. The two kissed their Mom goodbye, followed by them rushing out the door and waving hello to the crew in the snazzy car.

“Glad you could make it! Felix’s brother was kind enough to lend us his cool car here, which we’re going to use to get to that Canal Mall that we have yet to visit!” Sylvain whooped. 

Felix only leaned back against the front passenger seat’s backrest , leaving only a tiny hint of a smile when his brother was mentioned. “Yep. Though, if you wreck it Sylvain, I’m going to beat your ass on Glenn’s behalf.” The violette even raised a fist to prove his point.

“Okay, okay, point taken!” Sylvain quickly acquiesced, taking his place on the driver’s seat. 

On the backseat sat Ingrid, and surprisingly, Dorothea, the latter being super well-dressed to the point of wearing a black and pink sun hat. Dimitri mused that Dorothea probably got a bit too into the dress code for a simple mall trip.

Dorothea, who was already powdering herself with her compact powder, noticed Dimitri staring. “I got this hat from a shop that we just passed by; I thought it looked nice on myself, so I thought why not! Anything for a look that can be done anywhere, from the mall to the beach.”

Dimitri raised his eyebrows on that, lips forming a little pout even. “Couldn’t argue with that.”

With so much more time to lose, Dimitri and Edelgard took their seats next to Dorothea and Ingrid, the space becoming too tight even by the car’s shape. 

“Maybe move a bit to the right so that I can breathe...” Ingrid grunted. The two siblings moved to their right once Dimitri closed the door, leaving Ingrid with just enough to have her bottom sit comfortably...while also leaning considerably towards Dorothea. The lady in question looking at Ingrid with a stare that was teasing, but otherwise, she didn’t comment on it.

“Ready to go?” Sylvain asked, resting his hands on the wheel and handbrake. 

Sylvain was met with resounding whoo’s from the back (and a blunt ‘yeah’ from Felix); with no further prompting, the redhead cranked up the brake and pressed on the pedal, starting the car’s trip to their outing spot.

————————-

“Here we are, gang!” Sylvain announced, extending an arm to the sight. “Venice Grand Canal Mall!”

“It’s supposed to be Venezia, but I’m not going to complain.” Dimitri added, for no good reason other than to state it.

“A little bit of Europe within Asia...” Ingrid uttered, taking in the sight of the Italian-esque appearance of the mall. Her face then lit up when she realized what she just mentioned. “It’s been a while since we last been to our homelands in Europe, so why not take in most of what it has to offer?”

Sylvain gave a thumbs up. “That’s a good plan!” 

“If Ingrid wants to do it, I will too!” Dorothea added.

Dimitri and Edelgard also gave their approval with a thumbs up of their own. It left only Felix to give his response, so they all gave a stare at him, expectant. Felix didn’t appear to mind everyone’s eyes drilling into his skull, but after a moment, he let out a loud sigh.

“Okay, I’ll join in.”

“Great—!”

“But, we go to a food place after this sightseeing is done. I’m gonna be hungry as hell later on.” Felix interrupted, pulling out his phone. “And there’s a lot of food stalls, which I’m certain Ingrid won’t object to.” For a moment, his lips slimmed in a sly look.

Ingrid coughed at that last part. “Oh, I don’t mind! Anything for the mall experience.”

With that settled, the group made their start with their excursion in the venue. In one area, there were many boutiques lined up within one floor, the dresses shimmering and the accessories very fancy. Dorothea almost made a beeline to a Chanel store while they were walking, only for Ingrid and Edelgard to remind her that their budget is limited and meant for the main activity they’re meant to do later.

Another place they went to was a bridge, and they took some photo ops for memory’s sake. Dimitri and Edelgard first had the usual sibling photo, adding a wacky pose for the fun of it. Then it was the boys next, to which Sylvain dominated it by wrapping his arms around both Dimitri and Felix’s shoulders. 

The force of the shoulder grab was so strong that it actually had the other two boys nearly fall on their feet (the photo itself taking that exact moment when Dimitri and Felix realized that Sylvain going for the bro hug was a mistake). 

Lastly, it was the girls who grouped together for a photo op, and compared to the guys, it was more put-together, with Edelgard even making a relaxed grin. 

Though, they all got exhausted after trekking a few more meters, and so they stopped by the foodcourt to get their grub before they can proceed to the main activity that they have planned to do in the mall. Dimitri ordered a pizza from a Sbarro stall just in front of them, and once it arrived on their shared table, they each shared a slice.

Amidst the eating, Dimitri found it hard to ignore the many green tinsel strings, the giant present boxes, and stars hanging around the premises. Despite the vibrant, and celebratory atmosphere, Dimitri didn’t hesitate to think that it was a bit out of place for this time. It was truly odd; why were there Christmas decorations in the beginning of September? This was something he asked himself in the times he went to any kind of mall during a September.

“So...why are there hollies and candy canes inside the place?” From the speakers, Dimitri caught the tune from a song that resounded with church bells. The lyrics that came afterwards caught his ears in particular: 

_ “Wherever there are people giving gifts, exchanging cards, _

_ I believe that Christmas is truly in their hearts...~” _

“...And why is that song about Christmas playing as of this time? Am I missing something?” Dimitri asked out loud. “Not that I hate it, but I’ve been confused over this whole thing.”

Dorothea only chuckled at Dimitri’s confusion. Her laughter went on for a bit until she cleared her throat. “Oh, pardon me. It’s just—it’s a thing here in Manila to celebrate Christmas very early.”

“Or at least start preparing for it at September.” Sylvain added. He made an imploring look to Dorothea. “Don’t they call it the Ber Months?”

“Ah, yes, the Ber Months!” Dorothea confirmed, joy seeping into her vocals. “It’s something my family always enjoyed, and a tradition I’d never let go of, since I get to sing my heart out for four months straight!”

Felix interrupted with an ‘oof’. “God forbid you actually do that literally. Can’t bear to think about the strain it brings to the throat...”

“I don’t, Feli! I just sing carols anytime during the four months.” Dorothea gushed.

Edelgard looked to the side, a little frown settling on her lips. “I can’t imagine the feeling one might get for looking at decorations like this for too many days at a time.” 

“You’ll get used to it.” Dorothea finished, taking a bite of her pizza slice.

———————————-

Now the time came for the main event for the gang’s trip in the mall.

“We’re going gondola riding!” Dorothea cheered, much to the joy of the others, and the blunt ‘cool’ from Felix, of course. “Okay, so Sylvain’s already taken care of the ride payment, so we’re all set! We just need to board.”

So they started with Felix and Sylvain on one boat, Dorothea and Ingrid on the second, then the siblings on the third. The first two pairs had already made themselves comfortable on the plush seats of the gondola, therefore it only left Dimitri and Edelgard to board theirs. The latter went first, seating down and relaxing her back against the seat’s backrest. She held out a hand to Dimitri.

“You’re up, brother!”

Dimitri extended his leg, stepping one foot inside the gondola. When the time came for the second foot to have its turn, the water from the entry gate impeded his step, making Dimitri slip on his position. Arms wobbling, Dimitri tried to grab at something to stop his fall into the water in between the gondola and the entry.

The others became alarmed at the sight, with Edelgard having stood up and tried to reach to her brother’s arm.

“Dimitri, grab on!”

But it seemed like it was too late, as Dimitri’s body started to descend below to the gap. The blonde closed his eyes, bracing for the impact that is plunging into the stream and probably humiliating himself in the process...

...yet, he didn’t feel the wetness of water on any part of him. Curiously, he opened his eyes, only to find his friends and his sister look at him, flabbergasted. 

“What’s going on...?”

Then, he gazed down and saw that part of him was floating in the air; his one foot still in the gondola, while the other was now levitating without the consideration for balance. Immediately Dimitri got so confused; he didn’t get what was happening, how was it happening and why he thought was going to happen didn’t. A part of him thought it was luck, another said it was magic, then one said that the other two were irrelevant because such a thing like this was impossible. But, that weird floating miracle still occurred anyways, so at the very least Dimitri was thankful he didn’t fall.

On a hunch, he moved the leg that was still in the air, and to his surprise, found it easy for him to direct it back down into the gondola.

Now Dimitri was fully on the boat, without issue. 

“Thank God it didn’t get worse.” Dimitri extolled, taking his seat. That rush from almost falling got him a good one. That’s when he caught his companions still staring blankly at him, to which he dismissed with a friendly wave. “Never mind about the strangeness of it; let’s have our ride.”

With nothing else to be concerned about, the rest shrugged and the gondola drivers proceeded to begin the boat ride for the gang. The calmness of the water soothed everyone, and amidst the crowds of people gallivanting around the other parts of the mall, the serenity of the ride left the students at ease.

Dorothea dipped her hand into the water, her lips smiling in pure bliss just feeling it flow from her fingers. Sylvain leaned back on his seat, taking a look at the street lights at the railing above them. Even Felix appeared relaxed; he didn’t take a look at his phone, instead absorbing the sound of the water flow from rowing and the gondolas streaming.

Dimitri was looking onto the water’s reflection, touching the surface of it with his fingertips. It formed ripples underneath, and he continued to do it for a little bit more. At that instant, something on the surface floated near him, and his curiosity compelled him to grab that thing. Looking at it closer now that he had ahold of it, what he got from the water had him bewildered.

It was a feather.

But not just any kind; a feather colored deep red, yet showed the gradient rainbow against the light up in the sky. Dimitri recognized this feather...it was from that bird he helped yesterday. The little bird with all the colors of the rainbow on its tail and the span on its wings for feathers. One of its colored tufts was red, and this shade certainly matched the one he’d seen from yesterday.

“The little bird...but could it be...?”

He looked up, nothing except the blue canvas of the sky and white clouds were there. Despite that, Dimitri inevitably refused to think that the mysterious bird wasn’t present at all. He was certain that it was around somewhere. However, it also led him to think on whether that miracle from earlier had something to do with the elusive creature in question. If it did, then Dimitri would’ve seen that it was not luck.

For now though, he could only gaze at the gift of sorts left behind by the little bird, more questions forming in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional Notes:  
> -Ber Months: This refers to the longest event period in the Philippines, the Christmas season. Beginning as early as September, and ending in January (in the Feast of the Three Kings), Christmas in the Philippines is the longest Christmas in the world. One will know its Ber Months time when the malls are decorated with tinsel and holiday symbols.
> 
> -Venice Grand Canal Mall: One of the fancy malls located in Bonifacio Global City, and from the name itself, is inspired by the Italian city of Venice (or as Ghiaccio insists on calling it, Venezia). The main highlight is a canal area where people can have a gondola ride experience.


	6. The Art of Connecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri’s Monday has started with a change in method of transport (all thanks to his sister, of course), then a graded recitation from his Special Filipino class has him almost loose his marbles, but he pushes through.
> 
> Then his Fine Arts class occurs, and Dimitri reunites with a face a part of him was ecstatic to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next part! It includes: sibling shenanigans, language tribulations, and most of all, one encounter more with a crush! 
> 
> I swear, I love these boys too much for my health.
> 
> With that said, enjoy reading this new addition!

After the Saturday trip, Sunday came and went, then next thing Dimitri knew, he was to go back to school.

However, the way he went there was different this time around. 

It all started in the early hours of Monday morning, Dimitri deep in his midnight blue blankets in his all azure bedroom. He was snug in his covers, head rested against his pillow in blissful sleep. A light snore escaped from his lips, and there would have been more if it weren’t for the sudden movement above his blanket. 

At first, his eyes only managed to open up slightly, and with his limited perception catching nothing, he returned to his slumber. Dimitri, in his sleep-addled state, thought it would be the end of it, until the jostling came back. Now, he let out a groan, trying to swat his drowsy arms against whoever was disturbing him.

“Dimitri, get up!” There was a whisper, and Dimitri took a moment to realize that the culprit behind the jostling were a pair of hands.

The state of being abruptly awakened had him rub his eyes, irritated. “Who...what is it?”

The voice shushed him. Okay, Dimitri definitely had a reason to wake up now; he reached for his lamp’s switch, and turned on the light to see a small figure perched up against his bed, light brown hair neatly combed and wearing full casual. Dimitri raised a brow at the person next to him.

“El? Why are you all dressed up like that? Isn’t it—“ Dimitri paused to take a look at his digital clock. His lower jaw went down from shock. “5 in the morning?”

“Shhh! Listen,” Edelgard went close to her brother in a huddle, a cheeky smile on her lips. “We’re going to go to Far Eastern, by ourselves.”

“El!” Dimitri barked in a whisper. “Are you out of your mind? What if Mom and Dad hear us? And how are we going to get there?”

“They won’t.” Edelgard asserted. She moved to Dimitri’s closet, opening it to grab whatever clothes she can get for her brother to wear. “I’ve looked at their routines, and I’ve found out that they are completely inactive between 11pm to 6am from sleep. Therefore, if we make our leave before 6 am, we have time to get a Grab and commute to Far Eastern on our own.”

Dimitri got up from his bed, scratching his head trying to get the sleep out of his system. “I don’t know, El...wouldn’t our parents get mad for doing something risky like this?”

“They’ll not get mad, because I’m planning to send a text to mom after we leave.” Soon, Edelgard was done with sorting out the clothes for Dimitri to wear for the day, then she pushed the attire set against her brother’s chest. “Take a bath and get dressed; we’re headed to school.”

And that’s how Dimitri was in a Grab ride with Edelgard, riding on Lawton Avenue. The driver wasn’t one to talk much, instead focused on his route with the radio blaring some Manila sound in the background. Dimitri observed Edelgard using her phone, typing out something before turning it off and placing it back in her shoulder bag.

“You sent the message to Mom?” 

“I did.” Edelgard confirmed, leaning against the backrest. “They should be awake around this time to receive it.” 

Dimitri yawned, the usual rocking of the vehicle’s movement lulling his mind to tiredness. “Hopefully Mom doesn’t kill us for this...” His head hit the car window with a thud, falling asleep quickly.

——————————-

One long Grab ride later, Dimitri and Edelgard reached Far Eastern, arguably way too early, even for them. Minus the frantic phone call from their mother expressing how reckless the commute stunt was (and getting calm as soon as Edelgard rectified the situation), the siblings entered Gate 3 and proceeded to start with their school routine.

Seating by the memorial square, they went over their notes about Legazpi and Urdaneta, throwing some trivia questions here and there to hone their thinking. Next, they reviewed more of their Special Filipino lessons, even experimenting with a basic Filipino conversation. 

The results were...something, to put it mildly.

“Ano ang pangalan mo?” Edelgard started.

Dimitri opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, his accent clearly showing in his response. “A-Ako ay...uh...si Dimitri!” 

Edelgard nodded in encouragement. “You’re doing great! Now: Taga-saan ka ba?”

Dimitri stammered in his answer. “What’s that word...uhm—Galing! Yes! Galing ako s-sa...wait, what’s the city we live in again?”

“Taguig.”

“Taguwig!” Dimitri echoed, mispronouncing the city name in the process.

That one, Edelgard had to suppress a laugh. “Pffft—Goodness, Dima, you sound so cute when you mispronounce something.” She let a chuckle slip past her mouth. After years of living in Taguig, one would think that Dimitri would get used to saying it. However, he only knew of McKinley.

Dimitri pouted. “Don’t discourage me!” He fake-whined, not wanting to be held back by something trivial.

“Relax, brother. I know you’ll get it soon enough.” Edelgard made a sisterly hug around his shoulder, to which he accepted without question.

More students began to enter the gates, flocking to different buildings within the university. Among them was the friend group of Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix, to which Dimitri and Edelgard packed up their notes in their bags, and rushed on to meet them.

“Another day, another lesson with Mr. Molinaro!” Sylvain mused, crossing his arms behind his head amidst walking. “So far it’s only been basics on greeting and introducing ourselves.” The ginger groaned a sigh. “When will he teach us the words of romance?”

“He probably won’t since you’re complaining about it.” Felix quipped, earning a thud on both his and Sylvain’s backs by Ingrid.

“Okay, don’t start guys...” Ingrid cautioned, contrasting with her little smile. “Anyways, today’s the recitation day.”

Dimitri blanched. Today was going to be the test for basic conversational Filipino, and yet so far, the most he had achieved was a stutter or two in introducing his name and place of residence (and he couldn’t even remember the city on top of that). His mind prayed that their professor would still be merciful after a potential mishap later.

The group of five walked on to their classroom, and while waiting for Mr. Molinaro, joined the whole class in reviewing in the basic Filipino words. 

—————————————-

“Okay, class, magsisimula na tayo sa aming Graded Recitation.” Mr. Molinaro spoke, gathering up his index cards for grading. “Sinong gusto mag-unahan? Any volunteer?”

Most of the students didn’t raise their hands, except for Edelgard and Linhardt. Mr. Molinaro’s lip scrunched in thought.

“Parang konte lang ay gusto...sige nga, hija?” The professor pointed to Edelgard, and she stood up and began her oral recitation.

“Kumusta! Ako si Edelgard, at galing ako sa Lungsod ng Taguig. Ikinagagalak ko kayong makilala.”

Mr. Molinaro beamed at the clarity of her words. “Magaling! Salamat, hija.” Edelgard took her seat, smiling. All of that language learning on her own end paid off for this, though she knew that she has a ways to go. 

Mr. Molinaro continued on. “Okay, mapipili ako ng isang hindi nag-volunteer.” The professor locked his eyes on Dimitri, who was trying his best not to be seen. Yet, Mr. Molinaro made his decision anyway. “Dimitri, if you please?”

Uh oh. The words echoed in his head. Dimitri gulped, standing as upright as he could, making attempts to mask his nervousness. “Yes?”

“It’s alright, hijo. Just speak it out slowly. Don’t rush if you think you can’t say it too fluently.” The words from the kind professor were enough to give the blonde a confidence boost.

“K-Kumusta po! A-Ako ay si Dimitri, at galing ako sa Taguwi—-er, Taguig!” Dimitri recited, stuttering here and there, but otherwise it was understandable for the professor. Despite some small chuckles coming from the others, Dimitri didn’t care—he just jumped through a hurdle.

“Good job, hijo. I’m so proud.”

Inside, Dimitri shouted ‘yes!’ in the void of his thoughts. Long way for him from there, but indeed he passed through that graded recitation.

Sylvain was next, and his basic Filipino introduction was mostly fine, with the exception of an added pickup line (the cheesiest one). The rest of the class laughed at his antics, only being shushed when Mr. Molinaro told them to settle down so that he could call the next one. Felix was the next one in question, tone blunt as always, then Ingrid’s and so on.

———————————

“Glad that was over with.” Dimitri uttered to himself, entering his next class for the day. It was the Fine Arts, one he considered to be more relaxing compared to the other knowledge-based subjects as it only required him to get creative. In this meeting, there were easels set up for the students; it looked like they were going to have some painting done.

With a wave hello to Ignatz and another student, a sweet girl named Petra, he settled on his stool facing his own easel and canvas. He registered the fact that there was another stool next to him, to which the professor, Miss Manuela Casagranda helpfully explained.

“So, for today, you will be partnered up with a classmate to make a painting of this little decoration I have over here...” She pulled out a little vase, symmetrical in its shape and height, and colorful with blue, purple and white geometric shapes in its design. “The paints are already on a table next to your easel, and we shall begin shortly—-“

“Excuse me, Miss! Pasensya!”

The door to the art room opened, Dimitri looking up to see who entered. When he saw the person’s face, his baby blue eyes shone and his chest got warm.

It was Claude.

Claude was wearing another yellow top, but otherwise still similar to the one he wore when Dimitri first met him. The hair remained the same, braid on one side of his head, and it swayed as Claude leaned forward when he entered. The brunette shut the door and immediately gave an apologetic smile to Miss Casagranda.

“Sorry about that, Miss. Napaka-traffic kanina galing sa Quezon Boulevard.” 

At first, the professor was dumbfounded on what he was saying, but her face shot up in thought. “Wait, you must be Mister Radiamoda, the student added to my class list.” With a nod of confirmation from Claude, Miss Casagranda only gave a miffed sigh. “Sige, hijo. Just go pick a partner for this activity...like him over there.” She pointed to Dimitri, whose eyes remained in Claude’s direction. The former didn’t even register the fact that he was being pointed at. “The stool next to him is empty, so you can take a seat with him.”

“Will do, Miss.” Claude sauntered his way to Dimitri’s spot, casually taking a seat next to him. His whole body relaxed as soon as he settled, turning to the other boy with an added wink. “Well, well...looks like we meet again, and in a class too!”

Dimitri nearly missed the words that came out of the brunette’s mouth. “O-Oh, yeah.” Was the ever eloquent reply his voice made. Then he remembered Miss Casagranda’s words. “You were only added to the class list today?”

“Yep. Registrar shifted my Fine Arts class for this time slot for some reason.” Claude shrugged his arms. “But I’m not going to complain, especially not with a familiar face like yours being here.”

Dimitri swore that he didn’t change into a light red, really. “R-Right. Glad to hear that.”

Then a clap from the professor’s hands made the signal that their activity was to start. “Alright, you’ll have one hour to finish making a painting depicting this vase. And...go!”

In no time, the students got to work in grabbing their brushes and dipping them in paint. Dimitri and Claude followed suit, the former dipping a thin brush in black paint to begin with the vase outline. His hand traced the symmetrical shape of their object of focus, ensuring that it was accurate to the best of his ability. 

Claude’s gaze was fixed, his eyes showing the hint of fascination with Dimitri’s handiwork. “You’re a natural at this.” The brunette dipped his own brush in a different color, blue this time, and did some strokes that formed part of the vase’s design. “Did you learn painting before this?”

Dimitri chuckled, becoming modest at the compliment directed to him. “Oh, only for a little bit—-I didn’t see myself as an artist, so I stopped after my art classes in high school.” His eyes moved to observe the precise strokes made by his activity partner, and how mesmerized he was with the way Claude did it. 

Claude then dipped his brush in a different color, violet this time, and recreated the violet part from the vase into the canvas. The way Claude’s wrist was still in precision on such detail had Dimitri curious as well. “You’re also a natural at this too, you know. Do you like art?”

To that, the brunette’s smile from earlier became subdued. Though despite that, he sounded positively merry at the idea. “I do. It’s because of the colors...they make everything brighter to me.”

“So you love making something with plenty of them?” Dimitri leaned close to Claude, his hand still busy with creating the other parts of the vase’s design on the canvas. 

“Definitely. You could pretty much say that the rainbow has always been part of what I see as beautiful.” Claude laughed, a sound that had Dimitri almost sink to his knees at how nice it sounded. God, he was getting smitten by the musings of the other teen before him.

Dimitri finished with darkening the vase’s outline. “Where did you learn how to paint?”

This time, Claude didn’t respond right away, much to the blonde’s surprise. The brunette stayed on making the vase details for a bit longer, all the while appearing meditative. When the silence between them treaded on for longer, Dimitri wondered if he had hit a sore spot for Claude, and instantaneously he made the initiative to apologize. “...I mean, you don’t have to answer that—if it’s making you this silent, I’m sorry about it—“

“No, it’s good.” Claude assured, finishing his brush strokes. “It’s just...I remembered being taught the craft since I was young. This activity took me back to that time, way back.” The tone of nostalgia was strong in his voice.

“You really love making art, huh?” Dimitri implored.

“Yep. It does my mood good, after all.” 

With a few more brush strokes from Claude, and finishing touches from Dimitri, their canvas was done. The two looked at their output: it was a close resemblance to their object of focus, with the symmetry and the geometric design that made the vase. However, the distinct traces and strokes from the both of them certainly made it an artwork that stood out on its own merit.

“And what do you know? It looks amazing.” Claude praised, satisfied with the result.

Dimitri was looking at Claude as the latter said his words, only facing the canvas when he took in the details of it for himself. 

“Yeah...truly amazing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> -“Ano ang pangalan mo?”: “What is your name?”
> 
> -“Ako ay si Dimitri.”: “My name is Dimitri.” or simply “I am Dimitri.” (Edelgard says the same thing in the later part, but replace Dimitri with her name)
> 
> -“Taga-saan ka ba?”: “Where are you from?”
> 
> -“Galing ako sa Taguig.”: “I am from Taguig.”
> 
> -“...magsisimula na tayo sa aming Graded Recitation.”: “We will get started on our Graded Recitation.”
> 
> -“Sinong gusto mag-unahan?”: “Who wants to go ahead?”
> 
> -“Parang konte lang ay gusto...sige nga, hija?”: “It seems like only a few want to...okay then, hija?”
> 
> -“...at galing ako sa Lungsod ng Taguig. Ikinagagalak ko kayong makilala.”: “....and I am from the City of Taguig. It’s nice to meet you.”
> 
> -“Magaling! Salamat, hija!”: “Amazing! Thank you, hija!”
> 
> -“Mapipili ako ng isang hindi nag-volunteer.”: “I’ll choose one who didn’t volunteer.”
> 
> -“Pasensya!”: “Sorry!”
> 
> -“Napaka-traffic kanina galing sa Quezon Boulevard.”: It was very congested with traffic earlier coming from Quezon Boulevard.” or “It was super traffic earlier coming from Quezon Boulevard.”
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> Hijo/Hija: Literally meaning son/daughter, this is also another way to address a young boy or a young girl. Derived from Spanish.


	7. Where They All Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worn out and willing to take a breather, Dimitri goes to the fountain to relax. On his way, he sees Dorothea, who disappears in the most unusual way. With the help of Claude, who arrives just in the nick of time, Dimitri tries to search for his missing schoolmate...
> 
> ...only to have the weirdest outcomes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s the next part! This is where Weird Events that Dimitri Encounters Number 2 and 3 are going to be seen. It is a Mythology and Folklore AU, so weird stuff was bound to happen at some point.
> 
> Dimitri’s the story’s Weirdness Magnet, it’s what happens when he’s the protagonist XD
> 
> Anyways, enjoy reading this new addition.

The next day, Dimitri had the usual routine done in Far Eastern, from the supportive and informative lectures from Mr. Molinaro to the long winded lessons from Statistics and History. Frankly, the long hours of having to lend his ears to so much information had him winded and in a need for a break. Hence, he was on his way to the University’s main square, to sit down and wait for his sister’s classes to be over and go home. 

Throughout his trek to the open area, Dimitri had thought of his time with Claude in their Art Class. For all of his charm, Claude, Dimitri had learned, could be filled with nostalgia with the things he adored most in life. The other boy was open about telling his interest in art, and how the colors from doing it brightened his days. Yet, Dimitri just realized that Claude never actually said exactly where he learned to do art. 

Rather, the brunette only said that he learned it way back beforehand, but never said where he was taught during his youth.

The young Blaiddyd couldn’t pinpoint the reason for Claude to dodge the question, but a part of him thought that maybe it had something to do with a sore spot. Perhaps, a home lost, or loved ones who once taught him art were no longer around? Nevertheless, Dimitri hoped that sometime soon, Claude would tell him.

His thoughts were put to a halt when he at last made it to Far Eastern’s open space. There was a fountain in a corner, and blocked by its flowing water, was another person sitting by its ledge. It didn’t take long to see the dark brown hair, and Dimitri concluded that it was Dorothea. She was checking her cardinal directions, as if she was watching out for anyone who might see what she was about to do.

Thinking it was nothing, Dimitri had a boost in his step and went over to Dorothea...

“Hey, Dorothea—!”

...who suddenly went into the fountain’s basin, deep in the water.

What.

Dimitri rushed over once he got over the initial shock. “Dorothea?” He looked down on the fountain water, and unfortunately, there was no sign of her anywhere. His eyes scanned the entire area, hoping for something that could explain that disappearing act.

“Dorothea! Where are you?”

Moving around the fountain, Dimitri gazed at where she was last seated, and sure enough, there was nothing to indicate a sign of her presence. 

“Oh no...I better find her. She could be in danger or, or-—I have to do something!”

Dimitri went back round, making a run for it in hopes of finding his schoolmate. His eyes were elsewhere, which was why he missed the person in his front.

“Dorothea—-ack!”

His body collided with another’s, and Dimitri almost fell to the ground, almost since a hand grabbed his at the last minute. On the outset, the blonde didn’t know who was the person that he collided with. At least, until a voice spoke up, a familiar tone filling Dimitri’s ears.

“After you helped me up with a hand, it’s only natural I returned the favor.”

Dimitri’s head turned upward to the other. “Oh, Claude!” His whole body got upright. “Thank goodness you’re here, you have to help me!”

“Hmm? What about?”

A hand of Dimitri’s pointed at the fountain. “It’s Dorothea!” His hand shook up and down to emphasize the spot. “She was just seated at that place there, and then she just—-went into the fountain’s water and straight up vanished!”

Claude hummed, being unusually calm for a situation that was, in Dimitri’s point of view, very urgent. “Is that so? Well, in any case...” He lifted up the hand that was still holding Dimitri’s, much to the latter’s embarrassment. “Let’s find her together if it will help you be at ease.”

Hurriedly, Dimitri nodded. “Y-Yes! That would be great!”

With Claude leading the way, the two boys ran around the campus, searching for the missing schoolmate. 

—————————

They’ve traveled to the lower floors, went to the upper floors, even sneak into restricted areas to search for Dorothea. But, everywhere they went, the two left without finding a lead. 

Tired, puzzled and without a clue as to where Dorothea was, Dimitri, for all his trouble, refused to give up on this.

“I’m sure she has to be around here!” His voice was panting in between words. “Dorothea couldn’t be far...”

A hand touched his shoulder. Dimitri turned to see Claude gaze at him with a sad smile. “You’re tired, Dimitri...your breath is even becoming short.” As if to emphasize his point, Claude traced his palm down against Dimitri’s back, feeling the erratic inhales and exhales of the latter’s lungs. The touch lingered for a while as he continued. “Last thing I want is for you to strain yourself whilst being persistent. So...let’s just head back and take a break from finding her first.”

Dimitri, in all of his exhausted state, mentally wished to keep going and keep trying. However, the logical part of him has already won the argument, bringing up compelling points such as his general tiredness and the fact that his search turned up cold. Amidst his thinking, his ears caught a humming sound, a little too quiet for something to be heard, but Dimitri had his ears open to it nonetheless. The tone of it got him to conclude that it was in fact from Claude, whose hand remained on the blonde’s back.

The melodic hum resonated in Dimitri’s head, and it brought him to a state of relaxation. It was almost as if the melody...healed him somehow, as his lungs were no longer exhausted when he spoke.

“...Okay. Let’s go and take a break then.”

Claude didn’t speak on further, only accompanying the other teen in their trek back to the open area of Far Eastern. All along their trek, Claude kept on humming the tune, which oddly was turning quieter the more they got closer to where they came. Naturally, Dimitri got curious about it.

“That melody...it sounds nice.”

“Oh...is it?” Claude sounded genuinely surprised by the way he let out his response, though it was quickly masked with some more of his usual confidence. “Well, it’s nothing too big, per se. At the very least, it’s a run of the mill tune, not too special.”

“Really? But Claude, it sounded so pleasant! You couldn’t possibly try to downplay that...” Dimitri pleaded, looking to the other boy, pouting. “...and are there lyrics to it?”

That’s when Claude stiffened in his walk, subtle but the tic was there. His lips formed a smile, however it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “...Let’s just say that they’re in a language you couldn’t understand.” 

Dimitri noticed that the other dodged a question of his again, but he didn’t push on further on asking about what the lyrics were. Instead, he concluded with, “Either way, I think that even in a different language, the melody has a beautiful message to it.”

—————————-

Once they went back, Dimitri and Claude came upon two people seating at the memorial square. One was the former’s sister, Edelgard, to which Dimitri signaled his arrival with a wave. The second person, though, had him stop in his tracks.

It was Dorothea, and she appeared to be completely fine and dandy.

“Wait, Dorothea?! There you are!” 

The blonde went over to the brunette girl, his face scrunched full of worry.

“What’s going on, Dima? What got you to say that?” Edelgard asked.

“Dorothea disappeared into the fountain is what happened.” Dimitri explained. Looking over to the girl in question, he noted, much to his shock, that Dorothea was practically dry. No sign of her clothes being wet, and the kicker was that they were the same clothes when she dived into the fountain water.

“How are you still dry? From that?”

Dorothea shrugged, unusually nonchalant. “I let the sun and dry air do it for me, that’s how.”

“But where did you go? How come Claude and I didn’t see you anywhere?”

This was getting more and more puzzling by the seconds ticking by. So many unanswered questions, and none of them, it seemed, could be solved by some basic logic.

“I ended up at the pool in the gym, that’s where.”

“From the _fountain_???”

“Hey! Hey...” Claude went to Dimitri, grabbing his shoulders from behind in a reassuring hold. “Don’t get too overwhelmed by this...”

“I’m not overwhelmed! Just confused.” Dimitri crowed, his affectedness contradicting his words in question. 

Edelgard moved to give a comforting pat to her brother’s arm. “Relax, Dorothea’s safe now, if that’s what you were worried about.”

“Yeah, she’s truly alright.” Claude reassured, his hold on Dimitri’s shoulders proving to be therapeutic. Already Dimitri had felt at ease, and maybe even moreso considering who was doing the gesture in question. 

“Tell you what, how about we get something to eat? Since we’re all gathered now.” The brunette boy offered.

Dorothea perked up from her spot and raised her arm. “I’m game! Let’s go!”

With the added hums of approval from the two siblings, the four unanimously made their move to reach the cafeteria.

—————————-

On the way there, however, they are met with an eerie sight.

At the hallway, where the lockers were against the walls and doors leading to classrooms, there were a few students slumped against those areas, unconscious. The whole area was completely silent, save for the steady breathing from said students, which indicated that they were only asleep, much to the four’s relief.

But what got them to be so curiously alarmed wasn’t just who were left behind in deep sleep (among the students sleeping included Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix). Rather, it was also what was left behind at the floor in front of them:

Scattered in the hallway’s floor tiles, were a number of colored, gradient feathers. 

Dimitri immediately recognized them; the same ones from that creature a few days ago. The little bird of many colors.

He turned to look at his companions; Edelgard was stunned by the sight, Dorothea looked inquisitive, but the most telling reaction was from Claude. The other boy appeared alarmed, the pupils of green eyes shrinking a bit from the scene. In that moment, he didn’t appear calm as he was earlier. 

Though, Claude shrugged some of that off in favor of uttering a word.

“What...”

“...happened here?” Edelgard finished the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh! A strange occurrence has been encountered.
> 
> Also, more colored feathers.
> 
> No translations or additional notes, but next chapter is where the big questions are going to start being asked. Though there will still be more university shenanigans, it will coincide with the big mystery that is what the hell is that mysterious bird.
> 
> So, how was the story so far? Feel free to give feedback! :)


	8. The Mystery of the Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faced with the strange sight that is a bunch of students sleeping in the hallway in weird circumstances, Edelgard has a brilliant idea on how to get them up (much to the agony of Dimitri’s ears). Surprisingly, it works.
> 
> After they’re awakened, all of the students present now ask the big question of what, or who was the culprit behind the sudden sleep incident. Clues and testimonies all point to a surprising possibility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the moment you guys have been anticipating.  
> The first mention of the true nature of the bird of many colors.
> 
> While I was thinking a lot about how to first bring in this major bombshell, I was also excited since this is one of my favorite parts about fanfic writing: the lore of stuff!
> 
> That being said, enjoy this new addition. :3

The group had yet to wake up the students deep in their unnatural sleep.

Unnatural since it was downright strange for some, let alone a large group of people to fall asleep in the most unorthodox of spots. What force responsible for their sudden slumber in the hallway, they had no clue.

And they didn’t even get started on the other elephant in the room: the feathers scattered near the sleeping students’ bodies. It was eerie in terms of how ethereal looking the residual plumage appeared to be. Plus the fact that those feathers in question were near the students...

There was a lot to unpack.

For now, though, they had to address the matter that was right in front of them.

“So...what now?” Dimitri broke the silence.

Edelgard looked on at the students that remained slumped over in their oblivious slumber. “We just need to wake them.” Conveniently for the group, Edelgard’s locker was nearby from where they were standing, and an idea formed in the girl’s head as soon as she made the connection.

Her feet stepped on to the locker, laser focused on unlocking her locker door. Dimitri raised a brow at this. “What are you doing, El?”

Edelgard’s only response was, “Cover your ears, Dima.”

Claude and Dorothea followed the instruction without much prompt, while Dimitri tempted fate by asking, “What do you mean by—-“

Then, without warning, she slammed the door back and forth, the impact of it making a banging sound that rang in the hall. Dimitri clutched his head by the ears, blocking the unbearable noise of the locker door’s ‘clanging’. That, and he felt sorry for the inevitability that is his sister’s locker getting damaged by the endless slamming of its door.

All the while, Edelgard didn’t looked to bothered, only pushing on with her thing while watching out for any sign of the students waking up. A twitch from one of their hands made her realize that her strategy was working. So Edelgard banged the door of her locker further, the resounding noise becoming louder and louder and more unbearable for her poor brother’s ears.

Then a yell from one of them on the floor got Edelgard to stop her makeshift drumming. 

“Shit, I’m alive guys!” Sylvain bursted out, sitting upright and rubbing his head from the drowsiness of just waking up. “What did I miss? I had a cool dream though...”

“And that’s where I don’t want to hear it.” Another voice, an aloof one, spoke up from another place in the hall. Felix rubbed his eyes, wearing off the sleep he just had. “My god, my locker door’s definitely the worst bed in the world to sleep against.”

“I could say the same as well,” Ingrid groaned from her own spot, rubbing her back. “It was all a blur...what happened?” 

All of the other students that had just awakened nodded unanimously at the question. Right, they needed to answer what had occurred first. Then they can try to answer other pressing concerns.

Dimitri broke the uncertainty in the air. “So, can all you try to recall what you last did before...you know?”

——————————

A person among the crowd of students raised his hand. Dimitri recognized the guy as Hubert. “I can recall that I was with Ferdinand; I took a walk with him to this hallway, where we went our separate directions, then...” He paused, resting his hand on his chin trying to recall more.

“...Then all of us here heard something.” Felix added. “It was something like...a chirping sound.”

Sylvain nodded his head, invested. “Right! Right! Then we saw...a thing come up in the hall.” He waved his hands, trying to describe the thing in question, even if Dimitri already had a clue about what it was, in spite of it having no name.

“That ‘thing’ in question was a bird.” Ingrid informed. “Or at least it looked like one...why can’t I recall it clearly...?” She scratched her head, looking down to the floor where the feathers still lay. “But what I do remember is that we heard a melody, and next thing we knew, we had the worst beds to lay against.”

Claude directed his gaze to the different colored molts, and picked up one. He turned it delicately in his hands, less on confused and more on fascinated by the sight. A finger of his traced the fine tips of the feather he picked up, colored violet this time. “From the looks of it, this is definitely the work of a bird.”

“And it can’t be more than one bird either.” Another student, a shorter girl with silver-like hair and modest clothing, (Dimitri and Edelgard both recognized her as Lysithea) had stated. “Because we were all there and we saw only one more thing present with us.”

“To think only one left these many colors behind here...” Sylvain commented. “Is there even such a creature that exists?”

Everyone was silent afterwards, unsure about the possibility of the existence of such. Even Dimitri didn’t dare speak up, particularly about the encounter he first had with that colored bird. He wasn’t sure if anyone else did share the same thoughts as he did; if one other person would even confirm that yes, the mysterious little avian was indeed real and roaming.

Then, a new lead came, coming from Lysithea once more. She pulled out a book; on the cover was an illustration of a bird, resting on a tree branch with a man looking up at it. However, upon looking closer at it, Dimitri could see why she showed them this particular book:

The bird was depicted with a gradient kaleidoscope of multiple colors for its feathers, from its tail to its head.

“Its existence in real life is questioned, however, it can’t be denied that the thing that might have been responsible for this is remarkably similar to this bird here.” The girl began, pointing at the image in question. “This here is the Ibong Adarna, or simply the Adarna Bird. Often depicted with the shades of the rainbow, this creature is best known for its ability to heal using its songs.”

Dimitri and Edelgard both leaned closer to the little student in interest. The former notably getting intrigued since it would finally give him some insight to the little bird he first helped.

“When it doesn’t use its songs to heal, then it uses songs that can put unwanted visitors to sleep.” Lysithea finished. “And that’s pretty much all that I can say; it’s a near impossible, but a considerable possibility nonetheless.”

Well, that should definitely answer the current question that Dimitri had in his head ever since that meeting with the little avian. Now, a part of him, strangely enough, wanted to meet with the creature again, if only to see the little being that changed his school, and pretty much his whole life on a different course. The young Blaiddyd just wanted another look for himself, to satisfy his curiosity.

But another voice butt in. “Wait, a colored bird, mythical status...” Ingrid trailed off, only to snap her fingers. “Are you sure we’re not talking about the Sarimanok here?”

“The Sari-what now?” Dimitri blurted.

“The Sarimanok. A mythical creature that serves as our University’s logo.” Ingrid indicated, pulling out one of her school supplies. The insignia of her notebook depicted mostly a green, yellow and red bird behind a shield. Its feathers surrounded the shield, enveloping the sides.

“From what limited information I’ve got, this little one is a bird from the south, with many colors decorating its body.” Ingrid continued. “The Sarimanok is said to bring good fortune to people it encounters.” She chuckled, putting back her notebook. “I’m sure the thing we saw before we got to some magical sleep has to be this bird!”

“But that Sarimanok isn’t known for singing now, is it?” Felix pointed out.

“Who knows, the bird could be both?” Sylvain suggested, to which everyone shot down with a ‘nope’ look on their faces.

Claude raised an eyebrow on this, even crossing his arms in doubt. “I’m pretty sure that they’re two different creatures.” He waved his arms in dismissal. “Besides, they have two different backstories about them that really bring the contrasts. Originated in two different places even, the Adarna in the Tagalog area, then the Sarimanok in Lanao.” 

From the way he informed about the topic, Dimitri was surprised that Claude had knowledge about it, considering he was mostly silent during the deliberation of the students in this hallway. “Probably the only similarity is their feathers, plenty of colors that they wear.” 

Claude had his head tilted back, obviously tired from the long day they’ve been through. 

Speaking of, Dimitri acknowledged the time that passed. Looking at the opened window just nearby, he noted that the sun was already far down from the sky. How long did this whole thing go on for, he didn’t know, and didn’t care.

“Anyways, it’s going to get late very soon. We can probably talk about this another time.” Dimitri yawned, the lateness of the day getting to him. “For now, let’s go home and refresh.” He yawned even more, much to Edelgard’s amusement.

“Dear brother, I’m pretty sure a goodnight sleep will help you.” Edelgard chuckled, noting that they just addressed that the sudden sleep incident was a problem to solve.

With a silent agreement shared amongst all the students present, they went their separate ways, the questions still lingering in their psyche.

Dimitri only got more determined to uncover this than ever. While he wanted answers, he also wondered when will he meet the bird again. 

Whether it was the Adarna, or the Sarimanok, Dimitri wanted to see it again to fully know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional Notes: (Big Lore Reveals!)
> 
> -The Ibong Adarna: Or the Adarna bird, a magical creature that is the focus of its titular epic, the Ibong Adarna. The actual author of the story is disputed, but what’s known is that the titular bird is it is best known for its singing: their songs can heal otherwise untreatable illnesses, or lull people to sleep after its seventh verse. Often depicted as a rainbow bird.(Side note: their droppings can turn those trapped under its sleep into stone.)
> 
> -The Sarimanok: “Sari” meaning “assorted”, “Manok” meaning “chicken”. Literally a bird of assorted colors, the Sarimanok is a legendary bird from the island of Mindanao. This creature is often depicted in Maranao art, usually not shown by itself, with flags and banners using the bird’s likeness, and also atop a Sultan’s umbrella. It is said to bring good fortune to those it encounters.  
> (Another side note: I chose Far Eastern University precisely because of this significance: the Sarimanok, along with the Tamaraw, is one of the University’s major symbols.)
> 
> Anyways, time for questions to run free!


	9. Sunsets in Luneta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri gets a temporary distraction from the prior incident with a class activity that once again, gets him partnered up with Claude.
> 
> A few exchange of words, a surprise prediction, and an artwork later, the two share a moment with Jose Rizal’s likeness as their witness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the shippers (myself included), here’s another chapter that can be basically described as Dimiclaude going on a date even if they’re at an outbound class.  
> I really wanted to write this chapter because my heart can’t stand it if I don’t write them having moments such as these! X3
> 
> Also, this is where Weird Things that Dimitri Encounters #4 occurs. (Hint: Ignatz has something to do with it.)
> 
> (Lastly, here’s some awesome fanart that I want you guys to see; basically how I imagined Dimitri, Edelgard and Claude’s college looks: https://twitter.com/sethkiell/status/1303893086515286016/photo/1. This is by @sethkiell!)
> 
> That being mentioned, enjoy reading this part!

Dimitri couldn’t get that incident out of his head.

Despite not being among those who fell victim to the dubbed “Sudden Sleep Incident”, he felt a compelling drive to go find out about the true circumstances behind it. The possibility of a mythical bird, let alone one of the two being responsible...it sounded like something from a fantasy tale. 

The Adarna, with its magical verses that can save a life or lull it to sleep, or the Sarimanok and its powers of blessing humans with luck...Dimitri didn’t know which one of them did it. Both were viable candidates for an event that otherwise had occurred.

Either way, he became fascinated, and made a mental note to research about them later.

Right now, he had a Fine Arts class to attend.

Dimitri swore that his Fine Arts class was the best class he’s ever enlisted in. Why? Because of the activity that they were about to do in about a few minutes.

Currently, the young blonde was riding a bus, full of students sharing the same class schedule he has. With Miss Casagranda at the front, they were on their way to a famous Manila landmark for an on-site art project. The destination in question was one where he and Edelgard had never been to before, and now have the opportunity to see for the first time.

“Alright class, sinu-sino sa inyo ang mga napunta na sa lugar na ito?” Miss Casagranda asked the class seated behind her. “Itaas ang inyong mga kamay!”

Immediately plenty of the students raised their hands in confidence, except for some others, among them being Dimitri, of course. 

“So many hands! I’m sure you’ll enjoy another visit here for our new activity.” Miss Casagranda cheered. “This place we’re going to is called Rizal Park, an important historical place.” She looked on at the window, and saw the landscape of trees slowly becoming an open field. Said open field boasted a monument at the forefront, depicting a human figure atop its lower platform, from what Dimitri can see from his window.

“This was formerly known as Bagumbayan, where it was an execution ground for criminals charged with the most heinous of crimes.” Miss Casagranda began. “After the execution of Jose Rizal, it has since been repurposed into a park in honor of him. Hence, it’s Rizal Park now.”

And the bus was getting closer and closer to its destination, the full front of the park shown in full view. There was a wide walkway, with Philippine flags lining up both of its sides in rows. The monument from earlier was now in a clearer view, and the person depicted standing up in reverence, above and behind him were three stars lined up.

“For today, in case the others didn’t listen the first time, your art project for today is to go to the park and find some fallen leaves and flowers to make your collage!” Miss Casagranda announced. “And like the first activity, you are going to be paired up, with your partners from the first art project you did.”

Dimitri’s eyes lit up. It meant that he was going to be with Claude again for this one. Said teen was next to the blonde, reclining in his seat while looking on at his phone. Claude let out a little smile upon Miss Casagranda’s instruction, very elusive to most but Dimitri managed to see it.

————————————

“Remember, class! I expect you all to return here, in front of the Rizal Monument after an hour and a half!” Miss Casagranda hollered, pointing to the monument to guide the students on which was their meeting landmark.

“Yes, Miss!” The class echoed, after which they proceeded to split up into pairs, going into different directions around the park. Dimitri and Claude went north, heading straight to the Musical Dancing Fountain at the back. Since it was an ordinary day, the fountain’s spouts weren’t doing any tricks in particular. 

Next to the two boys, Ignatz and Petra were walking, with the former whistling a tune as he looks at one of the trees to the side. At first, Dimitri paid no mind to Ignatz’s little tune, considering his enthusiasm for the project. Then, the teen in green approached Dimitri, and he looked alert for some reason.

“Uhm, Dimitri, right?”

“Yes, that’s me. Why do you ask?” Dimitri tilted his head.

Ignatz wasn’t focused on Dimitri anymore; he was instead looking over his shoulder, behind the blonde. “You must move to the side. Now.”

“What do you mean by—-“

“Will do! Thanks, Ignatz!” Claude replied, grabbing Dimitri by the arm and close to his right side. Dimitri collided with Claude’s arm, getting flustered by the close contact. However, he didn’t have enough time to dwell on that fact as right where he once stood, a bicycle rider suddenly came zooming in and bumped into another person walking by at his front. Both parties collided and collapsed from the collision, and one of them, the bicycle driver, got furious.

“Hoy! Masdan mo kung saan ka pupunta! Pambihira ka!” 

“Gago! Ikaw kaya ay yung tao na walang pakialam!” 

“Anong sinabi mo—-!”

Then the whole tirade between the feuding parties went on, and Dimitri could only think of how much of a close call that was. He was glad that Ignatz warned him beforehand, and Claude for his quick reflexes.

“That was...” Dimitri began, pointing at the scene. “I could’ve been the one hit. Thanks for warning me, Ignatz.”

“Oh, no problem!” Ignatz told. His gaze went back to the tree from earlier. “Though you should thank the tree—it told me about what was going to happen.”

“I see—wait, the tree told you what?” Dimitri’s face scrunched, dumbfounded by what he just heard. “Claude, did you hear that?”

“I did, and trust me, don’t doubt his words.” Claude mentioned, getting a head start on gathering some leaves and flower petals from the ground. 

Just when Dimitri escaped the weirdness from yesterday...the blonde sighed in reluctance. 

“...How did you speak to the tree?” Dimitri slowly questioned, hoping the explanation was tame.

Ignatz gave a big smile at the question. “Oh! The Narra tree understands light, high pitched sounds, so I whistled to speak to it!” Petra nodded next to him, also gathering their art stuff for their project.

That only made things more difficult for Dimitri to comprehend. As much as he wanted to downright say that was impossible for plants to communicate, let alone speak words, his mind went back to the time Dorothea did that strange fountain trip and the Sudden Sleep Incident in their university. Not to mention the first weird miracle in the mall.

Right. He didn’t exactly have the position to doubt, not when he experienced the first, witnessed the second and encountered the aftermath of the third.

“Anyways, I have to help Petra in making our nature collage. See ya!” Ignatz waved farewell, heading to where Petra was to continue their work.

Meanwhile, Dimitri stared blankly at the other teen’s retreating figure, only being snapped out of his reverie courtesy of Claude. 

“Lost in thought, Dimitri?” Claude teased, tilting his head over the blonde’s shoulder, a cheeky smile worn on his lips.

Dimitri tried to gather his words. “...A bit...okay, mostly.” He scratched his head, looking on to where Ignatz and Petra were making their art. “Things have only become strange these past few days...”

Claude detached himself from Dimitri’s back, taking a sniff of one of the flowers he picked up. It was a small one, white and delicate, its petals only budding. Claude relaxed from the flower’s scent, gazing wistfully at it.

“You can forget those troubling thoughts for only a moment...” He handed over the little flower to Dimitri, placing it on the latter’s open palm. “We do have a project to do after all.”

Dimitri took a whiff for the flower’s smell, and needless to say, it gave him a comfort boost. More motivated than ever, he went over to where Claude was, assisting him in gathering their art materials for their illustration board canvas.

—————————

The two boys have gathered up sufficient amount of material for their output, now all that was left for them to do was to piece them all together. Dimitri and Claude deliberated on what should be their artwork’s main subject. It didn’t take long for them to decide on making a crescent moon, since they had a number of dark, dried leaves and plenty of white flower petals.

Dimitri was concentrated on arranging the flowers into a crescent shape, not noticing Claude sneaking past, presumably to get something. Otherwise, Dimitri remained at ease with his current task. Then something pearly white obscured his vision, little dots of them falling in front of his eyes and onto the ground. That’s when he felt little things occupying the top of his hair.

“What the...?” He tilted his head only to be met with another batch of white petals. The culprit’s laugh quickly helped Dimitri deduce who was responsible. “Claude! What was that for?” He asked, not really mad, more on muddled and oddly touched by the cheeky gesture.

Claude chuckled again, blowing more of the flowers off from his open palm. “Only a little gift, and honestly, I like these flowers.” The brunette’s hands swatted off some of the buds on Dimitri’s hair. 

“What was that flower, anyway?” Dimitri paused to take a sniff. The scent was honestly overwhelming his olfactory. “The fragrance is really nice...but a lot for my nose to take in.”

Claude laughed. “Sampaguita, or as I more often refer to them, lumabi. When they’re not in a controlled environment, that’s where I like them the most.” His gaze turned wistful. “The smell of these flowers roaming free just gives me a good feeling.” 

“That seems nice.” Dimitri smiled, holding one of his own in his hand. “They seem to be your favorite, why is that? Were they abundant in your place?”

Claude twisted one of them in his fingers, his eyes becoming unreadable. His lips remained neutral, though their edges were close to curving down. “...These are my favorite, and they once were everywhere in my home. However, that was a long time ago...things happened which caused it to change, yet a part of me wishes it wasn’t the case...” his voice sighed, trailing off to silence. 

The brunette sat down and did his part in adding the leaves, not commenting much with the exception of grunts acknowledging Dimitri’s instructions for their artwork. The silence was too strange for Dimitri, so he asked. “You alright?”

“I am.” Claude insisted, though his tone was not indignant enough to be so. The smile he put didn’t reach his eyes either. “Don’t worry.”

Whatever was bothering Claude, Dimitri could tell it was greatly affecting him. Even so, the other didn’t elaborate on why he felt blue. A sniff of one of the sampaguita gave Dimitri an idea. 

“Hang on, I think I need to get something.”

“Oh?” Claude’s eyebrows raised up. “Will it take long?”

“It won’t, but I’m sure you can put more for our board.” Dimitri then rushed off to put his little idea into motion.

In the meantime, Claude shrugged and went back to his work. He made sure to cover most of the illustration board with the dried up leaves that were picked. Then he felt fingers brush against the side of his head, and something resting atop his ear. Puzzled, Claude lifted up a hand to touch it, and to his surprise, was another flower, a different one this time. A yellow bell, with its five petals and vibrant shade of color.

“You put flowers on my head, so it’s only fair that I gave you one to wear.” Dimitri disclosed, a cheeky smile of his own found on his face. “Now we’re even.”

Claude could only laugh, unable to resist how cute the deed was. “Alright, you win this one, Dimitri.” His head moved to indicate the illustration board. “Though I need some help in getting the finishing touches.”

Dimitri held no reluctance in assisting.

———————————

A little while later, Dimitri and Claude were now done with their work. It was a vibrant crescent moon, its white shade standing out against the dark of the leaves. The art was a sight for the eyes...and a nice fragrance for the nose too.

They headed to the front of the Rizal Monument, just behind the park’s Independence Flagpole, to wait for the remaining students and Miss Casagranda. While they took their sweet time, Claude broke the silence in their wait.

“You know, I never really got to hear more about you.”

“Hmm?” Dimitri looked to the other. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just—I tell you that I like art and sweet smelling flora, but...” Claude gazed at Dimitri, pleading. “I don’t get to hear much from you. All I know is that you’re blonde, wear a lot of blue, and are my classmate. Nothing else.”

Dimitri could only be surprised by Claude’s admission. Yes, he did realize that for his fascination with the other teen he neglected exactly letting Claude know him more on his interests. However, Dimitri remembered that Claude, for all of his nostalgia with his aforementioned likes, wasn’t at full disclosure about himself either. The way he responded to certain topics, Claude, Dimitri had observed, always looked sad. And it ached at Dimitri’s heart just how disheartened Claude appeared in those moments. 

Although, he couldn’t make it about the young Radiamoda; this conversation was about himself.

“You...want to know more...about me?” Dimitri pointed at himself for emphasis.

“Are you kidding? I’ve said it before, yes!” Claude made a step forward, inching very close to Dimitri’s face. The lack of distance between them hasn’t left Dimitri’s notice, which made his face shaded a light red.

“I’ve never met someone who wanted to know more about me before. I mean—“ Claude exhaled a chuckle. “-never in my life had I have someone ask me stuff regarding my favorite flower at all! I’m serious!”

Dimitri smiled, only to reflect on the implication of the other’s statement. Did that mean he had no friends before him? For now, he shut that aside in favor of unwaveringly keeping his blue eyes looking straight at Claude’s hazel green’s.

“If you want to know me...” Dimitri’s head tilted down, his forehead increasingly close to Claude’s. “...then I want to get to know you more too. You’re someone that has kept me distracted at times since you came around.”

Claude made a playful smirk. “Getting romantic are we?” He teased, tilting his own head upward and close to meeting Dimitri halfway. 

“Is that what we are?” Dimitri questioned, the tension in the air getting all the more vibrant with their connection. He gulped, unsure which direction this whole thing was going. With the sun lowering down at the west, the orange rays made Claude illuminating in Dimitri’s eyes.

A sight to behold.

“If that’s what it is, then I...” Claude inched closer, losing words for this moment.

“Yes?” The distance was closing up.

“Let’s not talk for this one...” Claude’s eyes lidded down, and Dimitri was compelled to do the same. Their exhale from their lips was almost enclosed, the moment becoming special for the two of them. Nothing seemed to matter at all, not when Dimitri saw Claude being all that did.

They were dangerously close when a holler from a distance away got them to separate so fast. Dimitri coughed, and Claude only held onto the illustration board awkwardly in an effort to conceal what they almost did.

“You boys are done with your project?” Miss Casagranda called to the two boys. She looked over at their result, with a hum of approval. “Good job! Now go on to the bus; the rest will be coming here soon.”

Oh well, the two supposed they could wait for another moment like the one they just had for the foreseeable future. Frankly, the day was about to end, and both of them felt the starting stages of after-school tiredness.

When Dimitri and Claude boarded the vehicle, the two shared a meaningful look, and resumed to take their spots in the bus. Even when the bus wasn’t moving, the engine was on, and the vibration from it lulled Dimitri to near sleep. 

Claude let Dimitri’s head rest against his shoulder, and when the other students tried to tease and wake the latter up, Claude silenced them with a glare.

What a long day they had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> -“Sinu-sino sa inyo ang mga napunta na sa lugar na ito?”: “Who among you has already been to this place before?”
> 
> -“Itaas ang inyong mga kamay!”: “Raise your hands!”
> 
> “Hoy! Masdan mo kung saan ka pupunta! Pambihira ka!”: “Hey! Watch where you’re going! You weirdo!”
> 
> “Gago! Ikaw kaya ay yung tao na walang pakialam!”: “Dumbass! You’re the person who doesn’t even give a damn!” (Note: Gago can also mean stupid, but the word itself can be a filler for all words that translate to ‘dumb’.)
> 
> “Anong sinabi mo—-!”: “What did you say—-!”
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> -Rizal Park: Or Luneta, it was formerly called Bagumbayan (New Town), and it served as an execution site for prisoners jailed in the nearby Fort Santiago. It was the site of executions such as the GomBurZa trio of priests, and its eventual new namesake, Jose Rizal. Then it was eventually converted into a park after the Spanish colonial times, with the Rizal Monument serving the main attraction. The Rizal Monument is also called Motto Stella, or ‘Guiding Star’ in Latin.
> 
> -Jose Rizal: Needs no introduction for Filipinos; he’s the country’s prime hero. Full name Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda, Pepe (his nickname by close friends and family) was born to a rich family and studied in Spain in secret. While there, he eventually became an ophthalmologist while at the same time writing for the Propaganda Movement, becoming a front-liner in demanding reforms from Spain. Was arrested for treason and executed in what is now a park in his name. Wrote two novels before he died. (Those two novels I studied in high school: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.)
> 
> Sampaguita: National flower of the Philippines, also known as the Arabian Jasmine. Traditionally used as garlands to adorn with on altars, portraits, and for visitors to wear. Normally sold by people near churches or road intersections. Other names for this include manul in Visayas and lumabi in Maguindanao.


	10. A Day in Dimitri’s Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weekend arrives once again, and so Dimitri checks the group chat he has with his friends to pass the time.
> 
> In the chatroom itself, he and friends discuss some school shenanigans, potential and current assignments, then schoolmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is entirely a bottle episode, as Dimitri’s not (mostly) moving from the main setting from this chapter, his room!  
> And this chapter is different for in some parts, it’s a chat-based chapter, so there will be some chat nicknames and be in dialogue format. 
> 
> With that being said, enjoy this refresher!

The weekend had arrived for Dimitri and Edelgard, and with no big assignments in the way, they were basically free to relax in their home while their parents were at work. The blonde currently laid down on his sky blue bed, for once not caring for how his hair looked at the moment. Now, he just wanted to leisurely let the time pass in his own little space.

He could hear Edelgard singing to a song playing in their downstairs stereo, and chuckled at just how immersed his sister was into it. Otherwise, Dimitri noted that the sun was getting bright as it approached midday. 

With nothing else on his plate, Dimitri opened up his laptop and signed into his Facebook profile. Then he directed his mouse to click on the link that had his group chat of interest. It was a chatroom that consisted of himself, Sylvain, Ingrid, Felix and of course, Edelgard. Sylvain, ever the social butterfly, created the chatroom out of wanting to connect with the others in their little circle. Especially since they all lived in different corners of Metro Manila. 

Dimitri and Edelgard in Taguig, Ingrid in San Juan, Sylvain and Felix in different districts of Makati.

————————-

** The Far East Five! (We’re awesome XP) **

BlueLion: Hey guys! How’s the weekend for you all?

ReadytoMingle: yo, dimitri! yeah, its all good here. 

ReadytoMingle: and where’s edelgard?

BlueLion: She’s at the living room, enjoying herself with some music.

ReadytoMingle: musically inclined, i like that!

SharpBlade: what the hell I was trying to cook spaghetti here; don’t interrupt me while Im doing my thing

ReadytoMingle: ooooohh shoot! felix, cooking spaghetti? wait till ingrid hears this

ReadytoMingle: hey @IngridGalatea!

OnlySaneOne: What’s going on

ReadytoMingle: only the greatest thing i found out, read the chat!

OnlySaneOne: ...Oh

ReadytoMingle: felix fraldarius, the next gordon ramsay?  😮

SharpBlade: guys pls im trying to feed myself  😠

BlueLion: Yeah, guys. Give Felix a break.

SharpBlade: thank you, boar

ReadytoMingle: hey! hes the blue lion, feli

SharpBlade: i’d still pick calling him a boar

————————

Dimitri resisted the urge to facepalm at the nickname. He honestly didn’t know why he got the nickname ‘boar’ from Felix (though Ingrid hinted that Felix didn’t get amused at Dimitri’s big eater antics). In all seriousness, Dimitri tried his best to tolerate it as much as possible. He returned looking at the screen.

ReadytoMingle: yo, so what assignments do we have now?

OnlySaneOne: No, none that I can remember

ReadytoMingle: oh, good, because my god so many homework getting churned out so fast.

SharpBlade: maybe if you don’t spend so much time trying to woo ladies in school then you’d be able to cope

ReadytoMingle: you wound me, feli

SharpBlade: don’t care

ReadytoMingle: feli, you’re so mean—

SharpBlade: why are we even friends again

OnlySaneOne: Guys, please, don’t start here

BlueLions: Ingrid’s right, please don’t let the situation get worse.

ReadytoMingle: awww

SharpBlade: oh alright  😑

OnlySaneOne: Okay, thank you.

ReadytoMingle: but seriously, guys, will any of our teachers be a dick and give us a bombshell that is an assignment?

BlueLion: I don’t think so??? Like, as far as we know, Mr. Molinaro doesn’t do that, he’s nice!

OnlySaneOne: Yeah, Mr. Molinaro’s pretty fair

ReadytoMingle: true! our special filipino prof really is encouraging. couldn’t have asked for a better teacher.

SharpBlade: prof acheron though is a huge ass

BlueLion: Oh, yeah...him. I’m glad he’s not my Literature teacher.

ReadytoMingle: yeah...why does FEU even have him anyway?

BlueLion: I don’t know, but I’ve heard that he gave a very hard surprise quiz that had many of the students in his class fail. 

ReadytoMingle: what?! aren’t surprise quizzes not allowed?

SharpBlade: theyre not but prof acheron made me fail and IM NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT

OnlySaneOne: It’s true...it’s a miracle Lysithea managed to pass that particular test

SharpBlade: shes smart and she managed to stand up to that ass of a prof

ReadytoMingle: we stan lysithea! she’s our genius

BlueLions: Our University won’t be the same without her.

———————————-

Then the chat went stagnant for about a few minutes, presumably since Felix was still fixing up his spaghetti, and Sylvain and Ingrid probably attending to stuff concerning their home. Dimitri went on to check on other things in his laptop, notably his other social media profiles. Aside from a few clickbait news headlines, he mostly paid attention to the artworks and articles about his favorite celebrities. 

Then a ‘ping’ resounded from his laptop, and he checked back to see Felix continuing the conversation.

SharpBlade: speaking of—lysithea is pretty weird

ReadytoMingle: what do you mean by that? how is she weird?

SharpBlade: dont you see what she carries like everyday? its a doll or at least something like it

OnlySaneOne: I don’t see what’s strange about a simple doll. Maybe she carries it around since she wants to feel secure?

BlueLion: Maybe it’s a trinket that she loves and we shouldn’t judge her for it.

SharpBlade: its not that

SharpBlade: look ive seen her do some things with it—like speaking to it with some kind of whispers in some language that i cant understand

BlueLion: Okay, you’re my friend, but perhaps you’re looking into this too much, Felix.

SharpBlade: im not

SharpBlade: i kid you not lysithea even brought some pins and needles and i saw her poke some into her doll

SharpBlade: like who does that to something that is precious to them

ReadytoMingle: maybe she likes sewing???

SharpBlade: i never mentioned any thread dumbass

OnlySaneOne: I wish to be the sensible one here and say that she isn’t weird, but...now that Felix’s mentioned it, and from what I’ve also seen, there IS something that she’s probably hiding.

ReadytoMingle: what do you mean?

OnlySaneOne: There was a time where Professor Acheron did have a very horrible headache while in the cafeteria

OnlySaneOne: While he was screaming in pain and every student was laughing at him, at the same time I saw Lysithea playing with her doll and, here’s the part that got me suspicious

OnlySaneOne: Lysithea coincidentally was poking a pin on her doll’s head, EXACTLY where Professor Acheron was having his head pain.

BlueLion: I’ve never heard of this before.

ReadytoMingle: probably a coincidence.

SharpBlade: but it was exactly in the middle of the forehead for both cases

OnlySaneOne: It can’t be for jest—I mean knowing the previous incident

ReadytoMingle: the sudden sleep incident?

OnlySaneOne: Yeah, that

OnlySaneOne: With weird things happening, we can’t discount this one as a coincidence

BlueLion: That, and the weird event that happened in Venice Canal Mall. 

ReadytoMingle: oh, right. that was reaaally strange

BlueLion: Speaking of strange, what other stuff have you guys noticed that was...out of the ordinary?

———————————

Dimitri had to lean back away from his screen. For a moment, he wondered if asking that question was a mistake on his part. He couldn’t possibly fathom the possibility of the place he was studying actually had something to hide in regards to the students. Ever since those few days after his first day in Far Eastern...things only began to spiral 

Well, guess he had the opportunity to find out now.

———————————

SharpBlade: i think so

ReadytoMingle: yeah, there was something weird. i think had something to do with that guy with the emo cut

SharpBlade: the ‘guy with the emo cut’ sylvain is talking about is hubert fyi

BlueLion: Hubert Vestra? As in the guy Ferdinand is friends with?

SharpBlade: yep

SharpBlade: its a wonder that ferdinand is even familiar with him at all

ReadytoMingle: true! like, he never really talks, or even if he does, he just says ‘fine’ or something

SharpBlade: mhm

SharpBlade: moving on

SharpBlade: there was a time when we went to the insectarium for a class assignment and it was super full of butterflies and shit like that

ReadytoMingle: yeah! and then for some reason, hubert became a madlad and had butterflies and moths surrounding him like he’s their god or something

SharpBlade: weirdest part was that hubert was speaking to them

SharpBlade: SPEAKING

SharpBlade: yeah i used all caps thats how serious this was

ReadytoMingle: he was more social with those insects than with people, lol.

BlueLion: Poor Ferdinand...

————————————-

Okay, first Lysithea, then Hubert. Something was definitely up and Dimitri had the urge to investigate every single one of them. Although that would mean getting up close and breaching uncharted territory, and possibly losing their already barebones connection with them because of unfamiliarity. So Dimitri recapped in his head: Lysithea, while a genius, had a doll that she uses pins and needles on; poking the doll with one sharp pin coincidentally had someone nearby experiencing pain in whatever spot she jabbed the pin in. Dimitri’s thoughts on that had him think that Lysithea did some kind of voodoo, or just coincidence. 

Then, Hubert: not the most social of people, noting that Ferdinand was his only source of human interaction. Also an insect whisperer, judging from Felix’s testimony about the thing that happened in the insectarium. 

So now, there were four students that had some kind of enigmatic ‘traits’ with them: Dorothea, Ignatz, Lysithea and Hubert. 

From what he’d gotten so far, they’ve seemed capable of performing feats that are supernatural in nature. The question of who truly were they got his mental gears running in full speed.

But before he could forget, there was one more that he considered a mystery to him.

“Claude...” Dimitri whispered, his fingers lingering on what would’ve been their first intimate contact. 

For all of his openness and cheeky smiles, the brunette has proven himself to be an enigmatic guy, despite not seeing anything ‘supernaturally’ strange about him. Dimitri doesn’t know which city Claude lives in, or if he lives in a city at all. To add to that, he only makes vague references to it if ever he answered a personal question, such as that song he liked to hum from a few days ago. Then there was his efforts to hide what Dimitri thought was sadness coming from Claude...

He wondered if he will ever find out more about him one day.

For now, Dimitri thought that maybe he can make the first step and open up first to make Claude more comfortable about opening up his walls.

Another day it is, then.

“Dima! Lunch is ready!” The alto of Edelgard’s voice pierced out from downstairs.

Dimitri groaned from staying in one position in the bed for so long. He craned his neck, with little crack. “What’s the food?” He called out.

“Macaroni and Cheese! I made sure to use some Brie like you always wanted!”

Dimitri beamed, shooting up in a seating position in an instant. “Sweet! I’ll be there right away, El!”

He turned back to his computer and typed his las message in the chat for now.

——————————-

BlueLion: Hey, guys. El just asked me to go down for lunch. See you on Monday!

ReadytoMingle: awwww, see ya, dimitri! and tell edelgard i said hi!

OnlySaneOne: Take care, Dimitri

SharpBlade: yeah see you boar

——————————-

With the send offs, Dimitri closed his laptop and shook off the laziness in his limbs to get straight down to the dining room.

After this lunch, he can think about what’s to come in the following days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional Notes:
> 
> So yep, there’s more strangeness coming from some students, and even if Dimitri doesn’t bear witness to them this time, he sure knows now. He won’t be locked out of the loop anytime soon.
> 
> So for the next part, Typhoon Season time! (It’s even raining as I write this chapter; it’s a Tropical Depression, but not serious enough to be given a name yet.  
> UPDATE: It’s now called Tropical Depression Leon.)


	11. The Coming of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and Edelgard face a coming typhoon in their midst. At first it remains relatively tame, until the sudden strength of it causes a blackout in their school. Then classes are suspended, and now they must get to safer premises.
> 
> Accompanied by Claude, and surprisingly, Dorothea, they face what is their first challenge in getting out; rapidly rising floodwater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this the first part of the story’s Typhoon Arc, where this chapter, and the next two will be dedicated to the characters overcoming the visitor that is a Philippine typhoon.
> 
> Buckle up, folks.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this new addition!

The day started pretty strange for Dimitri and Edelgard while they were preparing for school in the morning. It was because today didn’t start out exactly looking like a morning. There were no signs of radiant sunlight shining down in the window panes, leaving the room they were in absent with warmth. Adding on to that, the temperature going down gradually had Dimitri feel a tiny shiver on his skin.

“That’s odd...isn’t it supposed to be 6am with the sunrise and all?” Dimitri looked outside the kitchen window, and to his curiosity, the clouds were austere and dark gray in shade. A little rumbling was even heard from above. Dimitri looked back to his sister. “Looks like it’s going to rain today.”

Edelgard sat down and resumed eating her Honey Stars cereal. “Goodness...I hope it’s not going to be too heavy.” She crunched on the star-shaped bits, getting pensive at the sight. “It’ll be a lot to navigate through, the rain.”

“True...El, let’s get our umbrellas and raincoats.” Dimitri went upstairs to retrieve said items. “Oh, and probably some coats for our bags too.” He added, popping his head downstairs to address.

—————————————

And that’s how the two reached their university, not drenched, but the rain clouds were lowering down from the massive amounts of rainwater just about to be unleashed. Looking up, the two pondered on the state of the clouds, wondering if it will drip a single drop of water. Some minutes passed, and nothing significant got them to change their heads’ positions.

Though, a resounding boom of thunder got them to change their minds very quickly. The sudden sound made them jolt in their feet, and already they’ve figured out that they had to get under a roof.

Dimitri and Edelgard rushed into the main university’s hall, folding up their umbrellas and protection gear, and went straight to their classes. 

“I’ll see you in a bit, El!” Dimitri called.

“Yes, see you, Dima!” Edelgard responded in kind. “Be careful!”

Dimitri went further upstairs to reach his Literature class, whereas Edelgard went to her Social Sciences lecture.

————————————

Dimitri sat down on his spot, near the window of his class, listening to the professor drone away the main literary piece topic by topic. They didn’t look too enthusiastic to discuss it, while at the same time they weren’t too bored to just drop it either. Dimitri thought that they were just being professional.

The Literature professor continued to tap on the words on the board, pointing at the important ones for Dimitri and his classmates to copy. Dimitri scribbled away on the paper of his notebook, concentrated cursive emphasizing the important lessons to remember. While he was writing what he had to learn about Florodora and how honestly obscure it was, his neck caught the sudden coldness of the air. It made him shiver in his seat.

And it wasn’t just from the air conditioning unit either; Dimitri looked out the window next to him to see the surroundings shrouded in a darker shade. The air from outside became cooler, and it must have seeped into the classroom through the remaining gaps from the door and windows. 

The somber scene from the outside must have gotten everyone’s attention, as one of Dimitri’s classmates raised her hand and reported, “Professor Seteth, I think the weather’s getting worse.”

He looked on to the view outside, and hummed in pensive thought. “Parang totoo ‘yan...it is getting colder here, right class?”

“Yeah!” Most of the class responded in scattered voices, and from there they chatted among themselves as to what would be the next course of action. Dimitri thought it was a good time to put back his notebook while he had the chance. Besides, the state of the weather conditions didn’t seem too favorable for them to go on.

“Sir, wala na bang pasok?” One student shouted from the back, disrupting the discourse and causing most of the class to echo the sentiment.

“Oo nga, Sir! Dapat wala na!”

“Signal No. 5 na tayo guys!”

And the shouts just kept coming from more students who demanded to suspend the session and most of all, the whole class day. Despite Dimitri’s limited grasp of the local vernacular, he definitely caught on to what they meant. In his personal opinion, with the weather getting bad, its probably best to start preparing for possibly the worst case scenario.

Though, the class began to get rowdy amidst the speculation, and the roaring noises seemed to have deafened the pitter patter of the rainfall so much that Professor Seteth was almost ready to reprimand the students. It only took the resounding boom of the thunder for all of them to go silent. Said silence got prolonged, everyone, Dimitri included, anticipating what would happen next...

Then the lights went out.

“Ay! Anong nangyari?!”

“Sinong pumatay ng ilaw?”

“Tanga! Ginawa ‘yan ng bagyo!”

The noise from the students came back, and from the popping vein that Dimitri saw on the professor’s forehead, he knew that the latter really had enough of the shouting.

“CLASS! Silence, please!”

Everyone clamped their mouths shut out of shame. 

Professor Seteth took a deep breath. “Good. Now, class, as orderly as possible, pack up your items and line up outside. Last thing I want is to lose a student.”

All did as instructed, Dimitri preparing the protective cover for his bag and grabbing ahold of his umbrella and zipping up his hoodie. He wasn’t going to risk any chances, not if the usual climate of the Philippines was the thing in question. 

Growing up in the country had him and his sister learn the hard way just how frequent these typhoons were. One typhoon can come in just one or two weeks after the other went past the area of responsibility. There were some that were very wet, others were destructive, with the combination of winds howling over the homes and lampposts and the floods filling the streets with no mercy. Even if his family lived in one of the safer areas of the metro, they weren’t spared from its dangers.

Especially from that one incident in which a typhoon caused Edelgard to give up swimming completely...

Nevertheless, Dimitri hoped that he could make a quick rendezvous with Edelgard and get home safely.

————————————-

Every student gathered in the main square of the campus, most crowded under umbrellas that only a handful had at their itinerary. Others were just arriving, waiting for the announcement by the university’s president. 

Dimitri found it hard to find some of his friends, seeing as how a whole crowd has obscured his efforts to their whereabouts. He only had to hope that Edelgard was nearby.

Then a few more students exited the main hall, and one them was a welcome presence.

“Claude!” 

He called to the other teen, who was making efforts to protect himself from the onslaught of rain with his usual yellow hoodie. He only had a shoulder bag present with him, and Claude held it close to his person with his arms in an effort to shield it. Upon hearing Dimitri’s call of his name, Claude didn’t hesitate to go under Dimitri’s umbrella, which was luckily big enough.

“Hey!” Claude exhaled, going under the cover. “Power gone out on your end too?”

“Yes! It looks like the whole university has its power shut down. The typhoon is just howling right now!”

Claude held on against the umbrella’s handle when a strong gust of wind went their way. “I can tell! This storm’s much stronger than the usual ones that came here. If anything, its probably stronger than Yolanda and Pablo combined!” 

Then another burst of wind blew in their direction, this time the force of it sweeping Claude off his balance, teetering him to the side.

“Whoa—!”

It was only through Dimitri’s quick thinking that Claude didn’t fall to the ground. Instead, Dimitri grabbed Claude’s arm with one hand, the other still holding onto the umbrella. Then, the former pulled Claude close to his side, further secured by the umbrella’s cover from the rain. 

Claude stared up at Dimitri with a brief wonder in his eyes. 

“You alright?” Dimitri’s voice had gotten husky from the adrenaline rush.

“I-I am,” Claude recovered enough to speak. “Thanks to your quick reflex.” He grasped Dimitri’s arm briefly. “What a strong grip.”

“O-Oh...am I hurting you?”

“No, no! If anything, I’d rather have someone holding me in a strong hold than to fall flat on the ground.” Claude laughed.

Dimitri laughed along with Claude from that. Amidst the storm, it was nice to have this little moment of solace.

Then the university president came up to the center, in front of the crowd of students and teachers. Both boys faced front; looks like they’ll get to hear what would be the next course of action.

—————————————

The university president held up a megaphone, ignoring the howls of the gales and the rapidly pouring drops of rain. “Attention, students! The mayor of the City of Manila has just announced that the city is under Signal No. 5 in light of Typhoon Cornelia, which means students of all levels are to have their classes suspended! We have to comply with the order, so please, be careful in getting back to your dorms and homes!”

The students flocked to the exit in large numbers, not wanting to waste their time in the premises any longer in favor of going back to a safer vicinity. While they did their thing, some students like Dimitri stayed behind since he stayed in a city far away from Manila. It meant that he had to wait for transport to come by and fetch him and his sister.

Speaking of which, he was able to find Edelgard from the convenience of most students clearing up the space. 

“El! Over here!”

Edelgard went to the two boys, holding her own umbrella while braving the storm’s conditions. “Dima! I’m glad I managed to find you!”

“What do we do now? Do we call for a Grab?”

Edelgard grabbed her phone, and frowned in an instant. “I don’t think that’s possible. I ran out of mobile data.”

“Me too...” Dimitri admitted.

“Well, none of us have mobile data, so getting a Grab is out of the question.” Claude stated. “Anyways...have you got other options?”

“I could try texting mom and dad, and tell them that they need to fetch us.” Edelgard typed a quick message to their mother, and as quickly as she sent it, she got a reply. “‘I wish I could go and fetch your and your brother, dear, but I’m looking out the window right now and it’s extremely traffic.’ That option is dead too.”

“What now?” Dimitri was starting to feel the weight of panic on his shoulders. “Where can we go if it will take too long?”

The little group proceeded to think, assessing their options in the silence of the pouring rain. Then, Claude snapped his fingers, and with a cheeky grin on his face, Dimitri knew that the other boy had an idea.

“How about you go stay in my place for a while?” Claude proposed. “Besides, I currently reside in Pasay, which is south from here, and if we’re quick enough, takes 16-18 minutes to get there.”

“Hmmmm...I don’t know...” Edelgard pondered. “Will there be...floods on the way there?”

“Floods are inevitable in a city like Manila, so we’ll have to find a way to make the most of land we’ve got right now.” Claude pointed to somewhere far out. “If we do ever get caught up in one, I’ll have to count on Dorothea to get us out of it.”

“How will Dorothea help in this?” Edelgard asked, surprised that she was mentioned.

Claude only replied with, “She’s the only other person who lives in Pasay, so she sorta knows where I live. As for how she’d help us if ever we get in a flood...you’ll see.”

Dimitri couldn’t help but raise a brow at that part of the plan, but with the limited time and options they had, it looked like he had to count on what Claude had came up with.

With that information set and action plan ready (even if the plan was admittedly shaky as it counted on not having the weather get too inconvenient for them), the three met up with the girl in question and set out to the university’s gates. 

Outside, was where things began to get more dire.

————————————-

The typhoon had just gotten more intense and merciless in its trip. Rainwater poured down even faster and more frequently, the winds stronger in blowing off even the strongest of debris that were sent flying to unsuspecting people caught in the weather. But most telling of all, was that the floodwater already rose up to their knees, with the highway under the railing in particular getting full of it to the point where any car that tries to go in it will just sink beneath.

Edelgard resisted shivering at the scene. She wasn’t liking the circumstances of this, not one bit.

“How is the storm getting so strong? Usually the place just doesn’t flood up right away!” Dimitri looked at the flooded roads, which were mostly clear just an hour ago. “Is there something making it that way?”

Dorothea, who was only observing the rise of the water in the roads until this point, had only this to say, looking up at the clouded dark sky.

“There is, but I can’t believe she took until this time to come back...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> “Sir, wala na bang pasok?”: “Sir, is there no classes?” 
> 
> “Oo nga, Sir! Dapat wala na!”: “Yeah, Sir! There should be none!”
> 
> “Signal No. 5 na tayo, guys!”: “Guys, we’re at Signal No. 5!”
> 
> “Ay! Anong nangyari?!”: “Ay! What happened?!”
> 
> “Sinong pumatay ng ilaw?”: “Who shut down the lights?”
> 
> “Tanga! Ginawa ‘yan ng bagyo!”: “Stupid! The typhoon did it!”
> 
> Additional Notes:  
> -Typhoons in the Philippines: With about 20 typhoons at most coming to the Philippine Area of Responsibility, with at least 5 making landfall every year, the Philippines is the most exposed country to typhoons on earth. Typhoon is another name for a tropical cyclone, and it’s called as such here because this one hits the Western Pacific. The local weather agency here (PAGASA) is the one that gives the local names to these storms alongside the Japan Meteorological Agency, so the typhoons that come here have two names (for example, Typhoon Hagupit in 2014 is known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ruby)
> 
> -Yolanda and Pablo: The local names for Typhoons Haiyan and Bopha respectively. The former is the deadliest and most destructive typhoon in the Philippines’s modern history, with the Visayas islands getting the brunt of the damage and casualties. The latter is the strongest and deadliest to ever hit Mindanao, as well as the second most destructive in the Philippines’s modern records, affecting Mindanao’s eastern, central and western regions.
> 
> ————  
> Anyways, folks, if you saw the name of the typhoon for this story, there is a reason why its named as such, which you’ll see in the next chapters for this Typhoon Arc.


	12. The Heart of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following from the last chapter, the group faces the rapid water rising on their feet and the rush of the crowds of people and vehicles. An unfortunate accident leaves Edelgard at the mercy of her worst fear, and Dorothea rises up to the challenge to rescue Edelgard, revealing a secret about herself in the process.
> 
> While that’s happening, Dimitri and Claude decide to go ahead and get to the intended destination. In the midst of this, they have a close encounter with the elemental spirit responsible for the typhoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the Typhoon Arc, so here’s where Dorothea finally reveals her true nature, and part of a rescue no less!
> 
> Then, comes the part where Dimitri and Claude encounter the antagonist for this arc, even if they never directly talk to or try to fight her.
> 
> With all that said, enjoy this new addition!

Dimitri and Edelgard both got confused by Dorothea’s words.

“What do you mean by that?” Inquired the blonde, still holding onto his umbrella as the winds and rain blew past. 

The storm wasn’t going to die down anytime soon, it seemed. If anything, the typhoon’s strength was becoming more vigorous and more vengeful as it barreled down the city’s buildings and streets. Some of the trees from the sidewalk were even starting to get uprooted from the ground by the intensity of the winds.

“This typhoon isn’t just the work of a change in climate...” Dorothea’s eyes remained up at the sky, resolute and filled with emotion with them. “...a spirit has always come around at this season, using her power to imbue them with so much strength and deadliness. She unleashed her full wrath in 2013, when she passed as Yolanda and came around...even when I wasn’t there personally, I knew that the people in Visayas suffered greatly for her actions.”

Dimitri got immensely hit with a silent dread. This wasn’t getting any better. He knew he had his suspicions about the supernatural stuff he encountered personally, but he never would’ve imagined that it would be on a larger scale too. If the work of all the recent weather events was the work of a malevolent being...then he couldn’t discount the possibility of that same being responsible for Edelgard’s antlophobia and thalassophobia.

He would never forget that time...he and El had only just moved to Metro Manila, and they didn’t expect much from living in McKinley aside from it being a luxury haven.

Then, the unthinkable happened when Typhoon Glenda came into the picture.

Edelgard and Dimitri were caught up in a flood on the way back, and were trying to wade across to get back home. They failed to notice the water rising rapidly from their feet to their chest, and by the time they did...

...Edelgard was whisked away by the flood current, submerged into the water below. Dimitri could remember the panic in his sister’s eyes that day, her hand reaching out as she screamed for help.

_ “Dimitri! Brother, help! The water! It’s...it’s...!” _

He did all he could to pull her out of the rapidly flowing waters, his grip nearly slipping from hers because of just how strong it was in its pull. In the end, he managed to rescue his sister, but she was left with a bad case of leptospirosis in the aftermath. Ever since her recovery from that incident, she always felt pensive when she looked at a road flooded or any big body of water.

Speaking of which, Dimitri looked to Edelgard, and already by her stiff posture, he could tell she wasn’t liking the current rise of the flood. Noticing his stare, Edelgard turned to him, in a rare instance of fear set in her eyes. Knowing she needed some support, he encouraged her.

“We‘ll get through this...you won’t get hurt.”

Edelgard managed a little smile, although shaky.

Claude looked to his left, still holding close to his bag and to Dimitri’s umbrella handle. “Come on, we’ll go this way. Be careful and watch your step.”

Dimitri, Edelgard and Dorothea obeyed his words, and made their way to the left, going down southward.

————————————-

They didn’t anticipate just how many vehicles and people were coming in the same road, in the opposite and same directions. It was becoming more and more crowded in numbers, and the four of them were struggling to get by past massive number of people and cars. Dimitri held onto Claude amidst the trek, even wrapping an arm around him out of instinct. 

On the other hand, Edelgard and Dorothea were having their own trouble following the two boys, with cars zooming every now and then, water splashing behind their wheels as they left a trail. 

“Hang on, Claude, just tell me where to go!” Dimitri braved the gales that kept coming his way, and almost lost his umbrella to them in the process. He looked to the other side of the road, seeing his sister and schoolmate also struggling to push through. “Be careful! Don’t slip!”

“We’re trying!” Dorothea called back amidst the roar of the storm. “But she’s just using all of her power to make things worse!”

As if Dorothea’s words were an omen, one of the passersby barreled forward to where Edelgard and Dorothea were walking, and bumped into them in the process. This caused Edelgard to be pushed towards the rail, dropping her bag to the ground, and unluckily for her, teeter downward to the flooded underpass below. 

Upon bearing witness to the sight, Dimitri let out a scream.

“No, EDELGARD!” 

He rushed to the other side, not caring if he hit anyone. Claude followed close behind, joining Dimitri in helplessly witnessing Edelgard’s strife. She was paddling her arms frantically in the water, going up and down its surface trying to stay alive. The pupils of her eyes shrunk, the panic seeping into her limbs, itself making her movements more frantic. Her whole body felt like it was going to be carried away by the vortex that is the floodwater around her.

“Dimitri! Help! The water! It’s...it’s...!”

Unable to accept history repeating itself, and letting her stay in that kind of suffering, Dimitri grasped the railing, ready to go down below. Even before he was able to volt up, a hand grabbed him on the shoulder, and brought him back down to the concrete.

Dimitri turned to the one who did so, Dorothea. “Wait, why’d you do that? Don’t you see that Edelgard’s in danger?!”

“I do know that she’s in danger, Dimitri,” Dorothea responded straightforwardly. “It’s just that I want to you to stay with Claude. I’ll handle this.”

Before Dimitri could retort, she was already preparing to go down to the flooded underpass. She first handed Edelgard’s bag and umbrella to Dimitri, ensuring that the former wouldn’t get wet. From her collar, Dorothea retrieved a necklace of what looked like to be a seashell. Her hand held it outward, and the two boys heard her whisper a chant in a vernacular long lost. 

_ “God of the sea, I call to you in prayer, _

_ Reveal my true form in this hour of need. _

_ Whatever calamity faces my way, _

_ Help me now, bring my true form to me!” _

Then Dorothea vaulted across the railing, and dived down to the flooded waters beneath. Edelgard was still struggling in the surface of the flood, and the strong currents that came with it didn’t help, as it only drifted her further away. Dimitri can only gaze at the underpass, tense in his wait for Dorothea to come to Edelgard’s help. Claude also looked at the same spot, only he was more collected.

Just then, a splash broke the floodwater’s surface, and both bore witness to a figure leaping out in a curve. The brown hair and feminine figure got Dimitri to recognize that it was indeed Dorothea, but there was something different about her. For one thing, the exposed part of her arms were decorated with scarlet red scales, the cheeks littered with the same. Though the most telling difference was her lower body; in the place of her legs was a scarlet tail like that of a fish. It looked majestic and it gleamed from the water coating it.

“Claude...” Dimitri began, stunned by what he just saw. “Dorothea, she’s...a mermaid?”

“A Sirena.”

“What?”

“A Sirena.” Claude repeated, pointing to her returning in the water to swim to Edelgard. “One of the bantay-tubig, or water guardians, of this place. You could say that it’s the local term for a mermaid, with some difference.”

Dimitri had his mind blown from the revelation. So the incident with the fountain, he concluded, was actually her using her powers with the water. It definitely explained why Dorothea looked convinced when she said that she arrived at the pool from the fountain itself. Then her power to shift forms was the answer behind why when Dimitri found her with Edelgard, she had no trace of water on her clothes or on her body. In that instant, he was more aware and wondered if the same applied to those who also had the same premise of supernatural abilities. 

Right now, though, he had to watch out for Dorothea and Edelgard and their welfare.

Thankfully, Dorothea’s swift swimming had her manage to go against the strong currents, grabbing Edelgard and shifting her to saddle against the Sirena’s back. 

“You alright, Edie?”

Edelgard was shivering from the coldness of the water, but otherwise, she nodded to the best of her ability. “I’m f-fine. I just want to get out of this flood—-I don’t want to get sucked in by the currents.”

“Don’t worry, Edie, I’ll swim ourselves out of here.” Dorothea turned to Edelgard. “Hold onto my shoulders.”

Edelgard did as asked, but looking above the underpass, she remembered something important. “Dimitri! Where...How is he?”

“He’s alright; your brother is with Claude right now. Claude will be the one to lead Dimitri to his place, which is where we’ll also be heading.” Dorothea readied herself. “To Pasay we go!”

Then with a boost, Dorothea and Edelgard swam onward, streaming past the many debris and other obstacles in the flood. The latter held on as much as possible, not caring for the rain soaking her so immensely.

————————————

Meanwhile, Dimitri and Claude witnessed the two girls going ahead in their water travel. Guaranteed that they will be safe, the latter grabbed onto Dimitri’s hand. “Come on, we have to get going too.” He tugged forward as he walked, bringing Dimitri behind him and to the path they’re going to take.

Amidst the zooming of many different vehicles and the steps of the passersby, the two kept on going, umbrellas open and their persons protected.

“We have to find a jeepney that will take us to F.B. Harrison, and to do that, we have to get to Taft Avenue. Dimitri, please stay close to me for this, alright?” 

“I will! Lead the way.”

There began their very long walk in the typhoon-riddled City of Manila. From a left turn to Recto, then a few more turns to Pascual Casal Street, the two reached the junction that lead to Taft Avenue. The traffic was moderate, yet it was still a bit crowded from the flood impeding the vehicles’s speed.

“What now, Claude?” 

“We walk some more, until we get our luck and a jeepney will give us a ride.”

A little break to catch their breath later, they continued to walk, turning left to Taft Avenue’s road proper. It was there that they noticed that the clouds became even darker, granting the illusion of night despite it only being late morning. Dimitri’s back shivered from the feeling that there was another thing present in their vicinity. The new presence wasn’t like anything he’s ever felt before, almost as if it was unnatural.

“Claude...didn’t Dorothea mention that there was a spirit that made these storms deadlier?”

“She did.” Claude tilted his head. “Why do you ask?”

“I think...” Dimitri looked up and his eyes widened in alarm. “...She’s here.” He pointed to an ethereal figure in the sky, surrounded by the dark clouds.

Nestled in the translucent sky, was the figure of a woman flying above the streets of Taft Avenue. She had deep scarlet hair, one that reminded Dimitri of the lives that can be lost to a calamity such as the one they’re in. Her arms were blotched in the darkness of the storm, outstretched as they commanded the typhoon’s path. While she had no visible legs, it appeared that the sky was her chariot when traveling across the city. The presence has been unnerving enough, but what followed got them both on high alarm.

The spirit raised her arm, and beneath her, the lightning accumulated and blasted down to Taft Avenue below. People below got blasted by the crossfire, with a few even burned alive. There were craters formed on the concrete where some people once stood; it confirmed that the storm spirit would spare no one in her path.

Dimitri stood frozen by the horrid event he had just witnessed. So much so, that he didn’t register a hand encircling his arm in a grab. 

“Let’s go, Dimitri. We have to run.”

Claude’s voice was barely ringing in his head, and Dimitri remained still for a split second before he was pulled away. The tug had got him back to his senses, and he looked to Claude in abject horror. 

“Why are we running now?” Dimitri asked, almost dazed from the movement.

“While you busy staring at her, you failed to see that she was heading this way.” Claude tugged Dimitri closer in an effort to secure the latter protectively from the typhoon’s wrath. “If I didn’t pull you away from the area earlier, you would’ve been toast, literally.”

Behind them, they could hear the continuous sounds of the thunder and lightning claiming more unsuspecting citizens and vehicles. If they listened closely, the crashing of the water’s waves could be heard as well, suggesting that the spirit has also started to flood parts of Taft Avenue.

“Claude...does she always do this everytime she comes here?” Dimitri’s breath turned to panting from the rush.

“Not always...” Claude remained at his pace, the occasional tilt of the umbrella getting him exposed to the rainwater. “That spirit is but one of two who come here every so often. Her lover, another storm spirit, comes around to do destruction to the place, but he only arrives when the weather station designates a male name to the storm itself.”

“I see...” His head then snapped up from the realization. “Wait...didn’t the university president say that the typhoon’s name is Cornelia?”

“It is, and it’s the current name she’ll go by for this typhoon period.” Claude continued, leading himself and Dimitri to a street corner that had an unused public transport stop, shielding themselves for the meantime. 

“As Dorothea told us earlier, that spirit came around and went by the name of Yolanda and took so many lives in Visayas, and after that, she went by Glenda, then Ruby in the next year. She has been given many, many different names throughout the times she came to wreak havoc.”

“Now Cornelia’s her latest name...” Dimitri clarified. “Though what about her lover? What other names did he go by?”

“He went by the name of Lando one time, sending plenty of rain to the north. Before that, he had the mundane name of Frank.” Claude let out a chuckle at that, but it was brief before he turned serious. “But his most destructive period was when he took on the name Pablo, and almost destroyed Mindanao.” Dimitri noticed that Claude had clenched his fist as he mentioned this. “It was also a bad experience for the people there...I can’t forgive that spirit for doing that to them.”

“You definitely know a lot about these storm spirits...how did you get the information?” Dimitri asked, fixing up his and Edelgard’s bags while doing so.

“Let’s just say that I have connections with...certain people.” Claude waved a hand. “Also, I got to know about these things as a kid, with stories my parents would tell me.”

“I guess what they told you were true after all...” Dimitri mused, looking up at the clouds, which were still dark, and were getting impossibly darker. He tapped Claude’s shoulder frantically. “Claude, I think she’s getting closer, we have to find a ride!” 

Claude noticed the same, and went on to grab the umbrella. “You’re right, we must go.”

“Come on.” This time, Dimitri got ahold of Claude’s hand and they went off in hopes of finding a jeepney. 

It appeared that since their little break beneath the stop, the typhoon continued to build up massive amounts of strength. The lightning bolts became more massive, more frequent and most of all, deadlier to those who were struck by it. Following that, the winds began to howl, and this time, it carried words to those who had ears.

_“All those in my path will not be spared...the winds and rain are under my command!”_ Her voice cackled. _“The people were foolish to think they would bear my tribulations after so many years...they are mistaken!”_

The spirit’s words only got them to run faster, but in doing so the spirit only got more motivated to go in their direction. Even if she didn’t look like she was targeting Dimitri and Claude directly, she was still too much of a danger for the two boys. 

The time came that Claude managed to spot a jeepney, so he and Dimitri stopped to signal it. Thankfully, the driver saw the signal and went close to their location. Unfortunately, so did the typhoon’s spirit, and beneath her, the thunder began to accumulate. Dimitri was a tad too late to notice her powers gathering, and so he was caught in the path of the lightning strike. 

The blonde could only watch as he saw the bolt get closer and closer to his body in slow motion. This was it, this was how he was going to meet his end. He closed his eyes out of fear of seeing his own demise. Before it hit, he heard someone call out.

“Dimitri!”

Then...

—————————————

Nothing happened.

Dimitri wondered why he wasn’t feeling the burning sensation of lightning, or the shock of it. He slowly opened his eyes, and saw that there was...something blocking the bolts from hitting him directly. Although almost invisible, Dimitri could see that it was a barrier of a magical kind. 

Behind him, Claude had his hand outstretched, and looking at the other boy with both relief and shock. 

Dimitri couldn’t believe it; another miracle had saved him, this time from a much more grave instance. He wondered if that certain creature had done so, the little bird witnessing his plight and intervening. To his dismay, there were no feathers or anything like around where he stood. 

Yet, the miracle still happened anyway despite its absence...

“Dimitri! Thank goodness...” Claude came beside him and shook his shoulders lightly. “When the lightning was coming for you, I had to...” He trailed off, letting out an exhale to calm himself. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay now. Come on, the driver’s waiting for us, and there’s no other passenger in it, so we’ll be able to go to my place fast.”

“I bet El’s waiting for us right now.” Dimitri mused, now noticing that his clothes got soaked, and furthermore, the storm spirit was somewhere else, having gone past them. It was a relief.

“I bet she is. Now come on.”

The two boys boarded the back of the jeepney, and Claude handed a 20 peso bill for payment. “Manong, sa Pasay po! Sa F.B. Harrison!”

“Sige po, Sir!” The driver acknowledged, readying his wheel.

And from there, they went onward in Taft Avenue, proceeding to their destination in Pasay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> -“Manong, sa Pasay po! Sa F.B. Harrison!”: Mister, to Pasay! To F.B. Harrison! (Manong is a term to address an older man, while ‘po’ is an honorific to address someone politely.)
> 
> -“Sige po, Sir!”: Okay, Sir!
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> So, what did you think of the two big reveals here? Don’t worry, our favorite people will eventually get out of the rain.
> 
> Next part is where Dimitri, Claude and Edelgard get to Claude’s place, and we’ll meet his parent figure there too!
> 
> Feel free to give feedback. :)


	13. Escape from the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having managed to get out of the risky situation with the storm spirit being present, Dimitri and Claude hitch a jeepney ride back to Pasay, where the former reunites with Edelgard.
> 
> Together, the three make their way to Claude’s condominium unit, where they meet his guardian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here’s the final part of the Typhoon Arc, and the beginning of Dimitri’s stay in Claude’s place for the time being. Here we meet Claude’s tita (or aunt), Judith! And my god, was I reminded of my own aunts when I wrote this part.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the new addition!

Finally, Dimitri and Claude were in a safe spot, covered by the jeepney’s roof. The thunder and lightning remained loud outside, booming every few minutes. Both of them, Dimitri most all, were wet and soaking from the rainwater that dripped onto their clothes. They were lucky that the seats had plastic covering, as both leaned back against the window that was currently shut. 

“Well...” Claude began, exhaling heavily from the wave of relief that came to them. “That was a certainly wild run we just had.”

Dimitri nodded, himself very tired. “Yeah...I can’t believe that I almost died to that storm spirit herself.”

“True. You’re lucky that you were saved at the last minute—-I didn’t expect for it to actually happen, but—-“

“What do you mean?” Dimitri suddenly asked, looking to Claude curiously. “You saw it too? The...thing, that protected me?” He added, referring to the near-transparent barrier that saved his life.

Claude nodded. “Yes. My heart almost stopped when you were caught in the crossfire.” He then looked to the side, his lips pursed into a tight line. “I’m just glad that it managed to come through and keep you alive.” The brunette kept a smile on his face from this fact alone, not caring if the misery was outside of their ride.

Dimitri saw the shine in Claude’s eyes, and for a moment, he saw that they shone a light blue. He couldn’t help but feel captivated, caught in this trap that, honestly, he would rather stay in for a while. Yet, his mind was puzzled; didn’t Claude’s eyes have a different color?

The other teen blinked as soon as he caught Dimitri staring, and it was back to its hazel-green. Strange. “You were staring at my pretty face?” Claude teased.

“O-Oh! I-I mean, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything—-“

“Relax! I was merely teasing you.” Claude laughed. “Honestly, you’re so endearing to look at too.” 

From that compliment, Dimitri was unable to resist turning red on the face. This made Claude laugh even more, though it delved down into little chuckles. Looking closer, Dimitri could see a hint of red on the other’s face too.

“Anyways...” Claude stretched his arms, the eyelids on his face drooping. “I’m getting sleepy...” Frankly, the whole ordeal had him beat; from all the times he had to hold Dimitri’s hand and keep him guided, then combined with the running, it’s safe to say that it was time for rest. 

The brunette’s head teetered to the side, right on Dimitri’s shoulder. At first, Dimitri went stiff from the sudden closeness, funny for him to be so when he had Claude’s hand in his several times earlier. Then again, he thought, it wouldn’t be so bad to let the other be close. Besides, Dimitri wanted to help him get his little moment of respite.

The driver only raised his eyebrows knowingly at the two, much to the blonde’s embarrassment. With a bashful wave, Dimitri went back to Claude, leaning atop the latter’s brown locks. The vibration of the vehicle’s movement then lulled him to sleep.

—————————————

“...ir?...Sir!....Hoy!”

Blue eyes shot open from the shouting. Dimitri blinked slowly, wiping off the tiredness of his eyes to get accustomed to his surroundings. His whole body sat upright, trying to assess the current situation he was in.

“Sir! Nandito na kayo sa F.B. Harrison! Paki-gising mo nga yung kasintahan mo.” The driver called from his seat. 

The prowess Dimitri had with the local vernacular was still limited. However, with the handful of words that were taught to him were any indication, he got the message that he had a sleepy Claude to wake up. 

Speaking of, Claude remained in the same spot from when he first dozed off during the ride. Dark brown hair tussled at the tips, eyes closed, mouth slightly open from how relaxed he really was, Claude was practically an angel when he slept. Dimitri was simply caught off-guard by how blissful the other boy looked, and even resisted the urge to just give a little touch.

But alas, the moment had to end; they did reach Claude’s place after all.

“Claude...hey...” Dimitri nudged the other, and in a few nudges, Claude woke up with a little start.

“H-Hey! We’re here now?”

“Yep. And I gotta say, you looked so at peace when you slept.”

“Hush.” Claude poked Dimitri’s shoulder. “Okay, get your bags, since the building where I live in isn’t that far, only a simple walk from here. The rain’s still coming, so get your umbrella ready too.”

With all the necessary prep, Dimitri and Claude got off the jeepney, and into the storm’s rain once more. Since their encounter with the storm spirit, it appeared that the weather in general was getting calmer from where they were now. It was still raining, but at least it was more bearable compared to before.

“Do you think she’ll come back?” Dimitri asked, looking up at the sky.

“Who? Typhoon Cornelia? Knowing her nature, it depends on what she wants at the moment.” Claude, despite himself, gazed up too. “She doesn’t really care on whether there will be plenty of people on her path; her trip across the country won’t be stopped, even if there will be bad weather with her.”

Their walk was, true to Claude’s word, short, and now they’ve reached the condominium unit where the latter resided. It was a building with accents of white and gold, and atop the entry arch, it was engraved with the words “Leicester Residences”.

“So...this is it. Here’s my place.” Claude stepped up to the wide doorway, Dimitri following closely. “Luckily the floor where I stay at isn’t too high, in case you have a fear of heights.”

“I don’t, but thanks for the consideration.”

When they entered the condominium’s lobby, there Dimitri saw two girls sitting at the waiting area’s couches, evidently exhausted and slumped against the seats. The colors of their hair got him to recognize who they were.

“El! You made it!” Dimitri called, rushing to his sister.

Edelgard stood up and encircled Dimitri in a great big hug. “Dima! You’re alright, and awfully wet too.”

“Sorry about that.” Dimitri chuckled, and looked to the other girl who was with Edelgard. “Thanks again, Dorothea. I don’t know if El would’ve made it here without your help.”

“Oh, it was nothing, Dimi.” Dorothea smiled. “Just did what I could to save her.” She then sauntered her way to the door. On the way there, she gave a knowing look to Claude, her head turning to Dimitri’s direction. The other brunette could stare at her vacantly from that move. Afterwards, Dorothea waved to the trio. “See you all soon!”

Dimitri and Edelgard also waved farewell, with Claude replying with a “Yeah, see you.”

Claude cleared his throat. “Anyways, let’s get up.”

A wave to the receptionist at the lobby later, the three made their elevator trip to the fifth floor, the wait to reach there not too dragging. When they exited, Dimitri turned to Claude as they on the way to his door. 

“So...whom do you live with, Claude?”

“I live with a family friend, a telecommunications supervisor who works in Makati.”Claude answered, reaching into his bag to retrieve his keys. “I’ve been living with her since 2017, and I don’t think I’m moving anywhere else for now.”

“Wait, what about your parents, Claude?” Edelgard inquired. “Where are they?”

With that question, Claude appeared like something among the lines of pensive, which was strange to Dimitri. Before he could point that out, Claude already responded with, “Oh, they’re away, and they’ve been away for a long time now.”

“What do you mean? Like working abroad?” Edelgard continued.

Slowly, the other brunette nodded. “...Yes. They’ve been abroad for a period of time, so long that I don’t even keep track anymore.” Claude’s tone was joking, but Dimitri didn’t miss how that almost didn’t seem, well, right to him. The blonde made a mental note to address that later.

For now, the trio reached the door, and Claude unlocked it using his keys. “Never thought I’d do this for a while...” He muttered beneath his breath, unheard by the siblings. A click, and the door was pushed open, allowing the three to get inside.

Dimitri placed down his and Edelgard’s school bags, and Claude looked around, calling, “Tao po! Tita Judith, nandito na ako!” He looked to the siblings for a brief second, then added, “May mga bisita tayo, Tita! Galing sila sa unibersidad!” 

Cluttering from another room was heard, and next thing they knew, a new figure came into the living room area. She had long, dark hair, put up in a high ponytail, and wearing casual wear for her age. The woman, upon seeing Claude, didn’t hesitate to give him a one armed hug, much to the latter’s embarrassment, though he didn’t let it show.

“Pilandok! You didn’t tell me we had visitors.” Judith mockingly scolded. “If I knew, I would’ve made preparations right away.”

“Sorry, Tita, but I had to do this last minute.” Claude responded, nudging his way out of the one-armed hug. “Their parents couldn’t pick them up because of heavy traffic, and this place is nearer to the university than theirs, so...”

“It’s alright, Pilandok. Besides,” she looked to Dimitri and Edelgard with a grin. “Anyone who’s a friend of yours is always welcome.”

“Thanks, Tita Mango.” Claude cheekily smiled.

“Says the one who loves wearing yellow in everything, boy.” Judith gave a light boop to Claude’s nose, making him drop his smile.

“Tita! Not in front of them, please.”

“I don’t care.”

Dimitri and Edelgard resisted the urge to laugh at the scene. They were reminded of the times they were given cheesy nicknames and embarrassing gestures courtesy of their parents in some occasions. Therefore, the siblings could relate with it so well.

“Anyways, make yourselves comfortable, I’ll be making lunch shortly.” Judith walked back to the kitchen. “I’ll be making Claude’s favorite, sinigang na bangus.”

“Will it be sour?”

“Do you think I’d make it anything other than sour, Pilandok? You love it best when it’s that taste.” Judith grinned, getting back to the kitchen stove to start with the food.

Excited by the prospect of lunch, Dimitri and Edelgard got their bags and Claude led Dimitri to his bedroom door. He then pointed to the other room door just beside his. “Edelgard, you’ll take Tita’s room; she does have a spare sleeping bag you can use.”

Claude opened his bedroom door, and Dimitri was met with the sight of a simple bed with yellow bedsheets and spread, simple red countertops at its sides. There was also a big blue drawer, presumably to hold clothes. In front of the bed was small, flat screen tv, with a few pictures laid out on the light green dresser below it. On the other side of the room was the door that led to a small balcony. All in all, the room had its own charm to it, with the different colors in it and all, and almost like...well.

“Wow...this is...”

“Amazing? Well, I try to make my room vary with as much color as possible.” Claude laughed. “It’s not always yellow I stick to, though its still my favorite. Now...” The brunette flicked his fingers on Dimitri’s hair, noting how droopy it was from the rainwater. “Get yourself dried up, we’re far from being under the storm clouds now.”

Thanks to a towel handed over to him courtesy of Claude, Dimitri got his hair and face dry. His clothes, while not as wet as they were before, still had to be changed. Though he can wait to do just that.

For now, he couldn’t wait for lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> “Nandito na kayo sa F.B. Harrison! Paki-gising mo nga yung kasintahan mo.”: You’re here in F.B. Harrison now! Can you wake up your boyfriend please.
> 
> “Tao po! Tita Judith, nandito na ako!”: (Tao po is a term that we say in place of knocking on the door, sometimes even said while knocking) Aunt Judith, I’m here now!
> 
> “May mga bisita tayo, Tita! Galing sila sa unibersidad!”: We have visitors, Auntie! They’re from the university!
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> Pilandok: a local term for the endemic Philippine mouse deer, the smallest hoofed animal in the world. In folklore, especially in Maranao folk stories, the Pilandok is portrayed as a trickster, a clever guardian of the environment who guards against those who destroy wildlife habitats. (I gave Claude that nickname to be used by Judith to have him tied to the deer motif and scheming nature he has in Three Houses canon.)
> 
> Sinigang na Bangus: only one of many different kinds of the dish called sinigang. It’s a soup or a stew that is best known for its sour and savory taste. It often has meat and vegetables as its ingredients. (It’s also a personal favorite dish of mine when it comes to lunch.)
> 
> Feel free to give feedback! :)


	14. With the Choice of a Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and Edelgard treat themselves to a lunchtime meal courtesy of Claude’s honorary aunt, Judith, and while that’s happening, words are exchanged mostly between them. 
> 
> Later, with their parents’ permission, the two siblings get ready to settle in for a sleepover, and Dimitri gets a near-sleep experience in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is here! Sorry it took so long, with university stuff and my recent oneshot getting in the way for a while. But now, it’s finally here!
> 
> So this is where we get another major bombshell, in probably the most blatant way since Chapter 12. Watch out. :3c
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this new addition!

After Dimitri had thoroughly fixed up his hair and fixed its fringes in a certain way, he went out Claude’s bedroom door. He proceeded to enter the dining area, itself a neat little setup with four chairs surrounding a rectangular glass table. Dimitri figured that the simple fanciness of it came from Judith’s good pay.

Judith and Edelgard were already seated on one side of the table, so that left Dimitri to take the spare seat on the other side...which was occupied by Claude.

Claude gave a grin as he patted down the cushion of the empty seat. “Come on, Dimitri! The sinigang won’t be freshly hot for long!”

“O-Oh, yes!” Dimitri pulled back the chair and took his seat a little too quickly. It probably had something to do about the person next to him. Nonetheless, the blonde collected himself with an inhale and flipped over his plate. 

“Ah, ah! Wait just a moment there.” Judith called out, stopping Dimitri when he tried to get the rice. “We say grace first.”

Oh, of course.

They all bowed their heads, Judith muttering a quiet prayer for a few seconds and ending with, “Okay, kain na!”

The three teenagers went first, taking turns with the bowl of rice, then the bowl of sinigang na bangus. Taking ahold of the bowl of soup, Dimitri nearly dropped it from how hot it actually was, but the scent that was emitted from the brew made him relax. He had a good feeling about how it would taste.

“I highly recommend you take as much as you can and want.” Claude suggested, blowing the heat away from the soup in his spoon and taking a sip. His eyes closed and mouth became a thin line of satisfaction. “Mmmm...a taste I’ll never get tired of.”

Dimitri took a sip of his own, and immediately his eyes went wide with the overwhelmingly savory taste of the sinigang. The dish being sour didn’t impede on its general appeal; if anything, it got Dimitri interested to taste more. Hence, he scooped some more soup for his rice, and dug into his meal right away.

In contrast, Edelgard remained composed while consuming the contents of her own plate. Her urge to correct Dimitri on his table etiquette wasn’t that strong at the moment, for she knew that they both really needed some time to relax and catch up after their recent trip in the roaring rain. Besides, Edelgard also came to love the taste of the dish as well.

————————————

While eating lunch itself was a quiet affair, towards the end, the four got around to talking when Judith broke the silence, finished with her meal.

“So, Pilandok, paano kayo unang nagkita?”

“Si Dimitri ay na-una kong kinakaibigan,” Claude began, slipping into the local tongue even if his mouth was occupied with eating his food. “Nabanggaan kami sa harap ng Starbucks, at sumakit ang harap ko dahil sa nangyari.”

“Mabuti naman na kayong dalawa’y hindi nag-aaway galing doon.” 

Claude nodded, taking another bite. “Oo, at gumagalak pa rin ako mula sa alalala.” His lip corners curled up.

Dimitri looked at the two with piqued interest; he did hear his name being mentioned by Claude. Despite that, the barrier that was the local vernacular was what kept him from really getting engaged into what the two were talking about. There were some words that he managed to get, and in his head, he got the words ‘friend’, ‘happy’ and ‘memory’. As for the rest, he had yet to work on translating the rest of them in a single sentence. Dimitri thought that maybe Claude could be his personal teacher in the language; he’d definitely propose that later.

“Pilandok...” Judith called suddenly, turning to the younger brunette seriously. “Nasabi mo ba na sa kanila?”

“Nasabi ng ano?”

“Yung totoo.”

The question was left hanging for a moment, until Claude answered with, “...Hindi.”

No? Dimitri wondered what did Claude say ‘no’ to.

“Hindi? Kaya wala silang alam tungkol sa ‘yong lihim.” Judith responded.

“Tita...” Claude sighed, leaning back against the chair’s backrest. “Hindi na ayaw ako magsabi sa kanila; yun nga lang, hindi pa ako handa ipasabi ng totoo...Paano ang magiging reaksyon niya kapag ginawa ko ‘yan agad?” His eyes became further downcast. “Hindi pwede ngayon...kailangan tama ang oras.”

This was probably the longest Dimitri heard Claude speak Filipino so far. And from the way the latter’s face looked all throughout, he could tell that it was serious, or at least serious enough for Claude to drop his laidback ways for a while. If Dimitri were able to understand the untranslated woes of Claude and try to reassure him in a different language, he would.

For this moment, though, he had to make do with listening.

“Dimitri...sorry you and Edelgard had to listen to me ramble.” Claude tried to wave off with a smile on the spot. “It’s nothing big, just something minor that I can handle no problem.”

Judith only gave a pointed glare to Claude for his blatant fibbing, the only reason not being caught onto by their guests right away was from the language barrier imposed.

Before things became more tense, a ringtone rang off from one of the rooms in the unit. Edelgard stood up.

“Oh, that’s my phone. I think it’s Mom or Dad calling us.”

“Definitely Mom.” Dimitri replied. “She’s always the one who gets worried.”

Edelgard excused herself to go to Judith’s room and answer her phone. In the meantime, Dimitri was beginning to feel cozy from the new area he was in. Even if it wasn’t his house in McKinley, this condo unit achieved that similar kind of familiarity. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was well-furnished and the walls were clean. 

Furthermore, he never really got to visit another person’s home before, let alone step foot into one. Not even Sylvain, Ingrid or Felix got the privilege of earning a visit from him to their homes, only their dormitories nearby the university. In addition to that, considering who else was residing in this place aside from Judith, well...a part of him wished he could remain for a bit longer.

Judith appeared to have noticed Dimitri’s current comfort, so she looked at him with steady eye contact. “You like the condo unit, don’t you?”

How she managed to figure out his thoughts, Dimitri didn’t care about that, only that he had to respond. “I do. It reminds me of McKinley Hill.”

“McKinley! Oh, I’ve been there before!” Judith exclaimed with a pointed finger. “Only once, to be exact; I had to buy some pasalubong for Pilandok when he first came to live with me.” She chuckled, eyeing pointedly at her honorary nephew. “Goodness, you should’ve seen him! He ate up all of the pastillas and polvoron like there was no tomorrow! His face even got a bit messy from it.”

“Tita! Don’t tell him that...” Claude tried to scold, pouting. “You make it sound like I had no table manners.”

“Which you didn’t.” Judith retorted playfully. “But I understand; it was your first time trying those desserts, and you got excited.” Rising up from her seat, Judith leaned forward and ruffled Claude’s hair, much to his embarrassment. Dimitri chuckled at the cute scene before him.

“Anyways, Dimitri...” the older woman began, settling back to her seat. “You’re from McKinley, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you lived there since you were born, or did you move there?” Judith asked further.

“I’ve moved there from when I was younger, last 2014, I think.” Dimitri recalled. “I originally came from London.”

Claude leaned forward in earnest, lending interested eyes and ears. “Go on.”

Dimitri fought the urge to blush from that. “As I was saying, I used to live in London, with my father. After he married Edelgard’s mom, he got a new job here in Manila as a worker in the British Embassy. So, we all moved to the Philippines, and settled in a house in McKinley Hill.”

“That place is pretty much a home for the elite to live in.” Claude remarked, beginning to gather the plates and other assorted empty dishes to the sink just behind him. “So I’m guessing you went to a rich-kids school too?”

“You’re right. It’s called International School Manila.” Dimitri explained, hearing Edelgard speaking to their mother just from beyond the dining room area. “We’ve had classmates who were also from different countries, but I’ve never really got friends from that school. Only Edelgard remained a constant.”

Claude gave a nod of understanding. “Hmm. It must have been hard for you then.” His voice faltered a bit when he reached the last word.

The blonde gave a little hum. “Yeah...which is why I’m glad I made friends in Far Eastern. The three of them, Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix...they’ve been nothing but kind, despite...things.” He stumbled a bit at the last part, remembering his third friend’s, well, unique attitude. “I’m also happy that I’ve met Claude; he’s probably the most beauti—I mean, wonderful and interesting friend I’ve ever got to know.” Phew. He hoped that Claude, and especially Judith didn’t catch the slip up, because who knows what would’ve happened to his poor soul.

To his relief, Claude chuckled in earnest agreement. “Indeed. And I’m glad to have met you too.” Without warning, Claude stood against the table, placing a hand way too close to Dimitri’s. The latter resisted the urge to flush red right away, his own hand going a bit stiff from the proximity.

Judith raised an eyebrow at the literal closeness between the two boys, though before she could remark on it, Edelgard re-entered the dining room, phone in hand. 

“Hey, Dima, I just told Mom about us being here at Claude’s place.”

“And?”

“And, she asked us if we were planning to stay here for a bit longer.”

Judith turned to Edelgard, interested. “So, what did you say?” From the sound of her voice, it seemed like she wanted the affirmative.

“I said to her that we are going to be here for a while.”

“And you didn’t consult me about this?” Dimitri blurted out, feeling sort of betrayed. Not that he actually wanted to stay in this condominium unit permanently or anything, he told himself, but at the very least he had hoped he would think about it thoroughly beforehand. It’s just that Edelgard beat him to it, and right on the mark.

Why was she so good at reading his mind on what he wanted?

Anyways, his sister continued on. “Mom and Dad gave us the go signal; we’re free to have a sleepover here.”

Part of Dimitri got elated with joy from that single sentence. This meant he would have his first night out in a friend’s place, and said friend was someone he held lingering sentiments for since their first meeting. Ideas and scenarios came running through his mind; what kind of bed would he be sleeping in for the night, what’s the nightly ritual that this home follows, whether he would do the unthinkable and share a bed...

It all got him excited.

“So, this means that you guys will eat dinner here.” Claude informed. “And rest your sleepy heads at this place too.” The cheeky grin made a triumphant return on the brunette’s features.

He clapped his hands in finality. “Welp, that settles it! You’re going to be roommates with me tonight, Dimitri.”

“And for tomorrow and the Sunday after that.” Edelgard added with a knowing smile.

Wait a minute.

Dimitri did a double take. “Hang on? Saturday and Sunday? El...what did you do?”

“I did nothing, Dima, honest!” Edelgard confirmed, placating her hands up. “It was Mom’s idea, really. She said that it would ‘finally get you to widen your sociability’.”

Suddenly, Dimitri was even more thankful for that blessing internally, yet externally, he pouted at his sister.

“You could’ve told me that as soon as you were off the line!”

——————————————

After that little exchange post-lunch time, the four occupants took a break, watching some television now and again to lessen the boredom. Judith eventually went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, to which the remaining teenagers simply binge-watched The Throne, which according to Claude, was ‘a long and winded saga about a fictional prince who suddenly became king at a young age’. 

From the limited knowledge Dimitri had on the Netflix show, he knew that it was set on a made up country called Altea, and it starred the same guy who played that same prince in the movie called Hero-King (to which the series was the prequel).

That aside, Judith called on them to have their nighttime meal, and after sayinggrace, they dug into and savored the meal. It was the same sinigang na bangus, only this time, a bit more sour at Claude and surprisingly, Edelgard’s request. 

There were a few exchanges of words as they ate, mostly coming from Judith’s efforts to dote on Claude in front of Dimitri and Edelgard. Much to his dismay, it mostly worked.

It did have to end, however, as Judith checked the clock for the time. “Looks like you have prepare to sleep for tonight. You’ve all had a long day, so rest is necessary.” The instructions were left unsaid after that, yet Claude got the message and proceeded to go to the bathroom located in between his and his aunt’s room, to begin his nightly routine.

Dimitri turned to Judith. “What will I wear for tonight though?” To which she replied with a hearty smile.

“I’ve already prepared some spare clothes for you to use for the next two days; I handpicked them from Pilandok’s drawers, and I only wish they fit for a guy’s size like yours.”

“Thanks, Miss Judith.”

“Oh, please. Call me Tita—you’re a friend of my boy’s, right? So you’ve earned it.” The older woman looked to Edelgard. “Same goes for you too.”

With that said, Dimitri went on to Claude’s room, and sure enough, there was a set of clothes ready for him atop the bed. They were very soft to the touch, the cotton that made up its fabrics sending waves of comfort to Dimitri’s hands.

Just as he held up the clothes, Claude entered, refreshed and fully dressed up in his nightwear, a simple combo of a yellow sports jersey and loose shorts. 

“The bathroom’s empty now, Dimitri, so go refresh yourself.”

Dimitri proceeded to the door, looking back to Claude as he did so. “Alright—“ Then he stopped at something in his vision that got his gears turning. There was a vertical line on Claude’s right arm, a scar, most likely. From its flesh-like color, it looked like the scar was relatively recent.

“What happened there?”

“Oh, this?” Claude held up the arm with the scar, nonchalant. “It’s a wound that I got several days ago. I got hurt by getting scratched against a lamppost’s nail that stuck out. Thankfully, it was treated by a makeshift wet bandage, cleaning it up.”

“I see...” Dimitri trailed off. That wet bandage, he thought in his head, it reminded him of the time when he treated the little bird (Adarna or Sarimanok, he still didn’t know) of its wound on one of its wings. Though he stopped for a moment when he noted that the location of Claude’s current scar was similar to where the bird had its wound: on their respective right arm/wing. To add onto that, even the shape of the injury was pretty similar. He wondered if it were...

...Nope, he dismissed it as just coincidence. It’s not like Claude actually had that handkerchief Dimitri used to treat the bird or anything like it. Besides, shouldn’t the bird itself be the one to possess it?

“I’ve better start with my bath then.”

—————————————-

One solitary session with the shower later, Dimitri returned back to Claude’s room, wearing a spare shirt and comfortable shorts. He hung the towel at the back of the door, and then he noted that Claude was not in the main room itself. His eyes went to the open panes of the balcony door, where he saw Claude leaning against the railing, looking undisturbed, almost as if he was reflecting on something. 

Then Dimitri heard it.

Lyrics, or more specifically, the voice singing them.

_ “Sa wari ko’y,  
Lumipas na ang kadiliman ang araw.  
Dahan-dahan pang gumigising,  
At ngayo’y babawi na...” _

Dimitri was trapped in an instant trance; Claude’s voice was heaven to his ears, his mind receiving immediate salvation from how soothing it sounded. The brunette’s voice, while beautiful when singing, it had a certain softness to it, not in terms of volume, but in tone. It further helped bring the relaxing feeling to the lyrics being sung at this moment in time.

_ “Muntik na  
Nasanay ako sa ‘king pag-iisa.  
At kaya nang iwanan ang  
Bakas ng kahapon ko. _

_ Tuloy pa rin ang awit ng buhay ko,  
Nagbago man ang hugis ng puso mo.  
Handa ako hamunin ang aking mundo,  
’Pagka’t tuloy pa rin...” _

While he didn’t know the translation of the lyrics, Dimitri could tell that Claude was giving his heart and soul to this mini-performance, even if the latter didn’t know that he had an audience. He did manage to appreciate the general tone that the song carried, despite the language barrier.

As Claude continued to sing, Dimitri was so into the song, that he almost didn’t catch the fact that his eyelids were beginning to droop. The exact cause of it wasn’t known to him, with one thought of his suggesting the singing being responsible, yet a part of him didn’t care, the song that Claude was singing was still beautiful to hear. Though, his whole body felt heavy, and his legs were about to give in to kneeling on the ground. His whole figure further descended to the floor, and when his knees hit it, only then did he register a pair of arms wrapped around him, holding him tight as he was being pulled upright.

Claude waved his hand in front of Dimitri’s eyes in a frantic attempt to get the latter’s attention. “Dimitri...Dimitri!” His face carried worry.  


“...Claude? What...was I...kneeling?” Dimitri spoke, terse from the sudden absence of the trance.

“Yeah, you looked as if you were ready to sleep right then and there!” Claude worried face quickly morphed into a disbelieving smirk. “There are better places to take a rest, like right now, you need to sleep on this bed right here.”

Claude went atop the bed in a single bound, and gestured for Dimitri to follow, to which he did without question. The bed shook from both of their jumps on it, yet it ended up with the two boys facing each other. 

The brunette gave a yawn. “That’s my time to take a rest...goodnight, Dimitri.” His eyelids dropped down to start his sleep.

Dimitri stretched, yawning himself. “Goodnight to you too, Claude.” 

After that, he dozed off, falling asleep very quickly. While that came about, his hand then subconsciously draped itself around Claude, almost protective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> -“So, Pilandok, paano kayo unang nagkita?”: “So, Pilandok, how did you all first meet?”
> 
> -“Si Dimitri ay na-una kong kinakaibigan.”: Dimitri was the first whom I befriended.
> 
> -“Nabanggaan kami sa harap ng Starbucks, at sumakit ang harap ko dahil sa nangyari.”: We bumped into each other in front of Starbucks, and my front hurt because of what happened.
> 
> -“Mabuti naman na kayong dalawa’y hindi nag-aaway galing doon.”: It’s a good thing that you two didn’t fight because of that.
> 
> -“Oo, at gumagalak pa rin ako mula sa alalala.”: Yes, and I still smile from the memory.
> 
> -“Pilandok...Nasabi mo ba na sa kanila?”: Pilandok...did you tell them already?
> 
> -“Nasabi ng ano?”: Tell what?
> 
> -“Yung totoo.”: The truth.
> 
> -“...Hindi.”: ...No.
> 
> -“Hindi? Kaya wala silang alam tungkol sa ‘yong lihim.”: No? So that’s why they don’t know about your secret.
> 
> -“Tita...Hindi na ayaw ako magsabi sa kanila; yun nga lang, hindi pa ako handa ipasabi ng totoo...Paano ang magiging reaksyon niya kapag ginawa ko ‘yan agad? Hindi pwede ngayon...kailangan tama ang oras.”: Tita...it’s not that I don’t want to tell them; it’s just that, I’m not ready to tell the truth...How will he react if I do that too soon? It can’t be now...the timing should be right.
> 
> Then Lyric Translations: (This one is from the song Tuloy Pa Rin by Neocolors; it’s a good song, I tell you)
> 
> “Sa wari ko’y,  
> Lumipas na ang kadiliman ang araw.  
> Dahan-dahan pang gumigising,  
> At ngayo’y babawi na...”:
> 
> It seems to me,  
> The darkness of the day has passed.  
> Slowly waking up,  
> And now it will be recovered.
> 
> “Muntik na  
> Nasanay ako sa ‘king pag-iisa.  
> At kaya nang iwanan ang  
> Bakas ng kahapon ko.”:
> 
> I am almost used to my solitude.  
> And so to I leave  
> Traces of my yesterday.
> 
> “Tuloy pa rin ang awit ng buhay ko,  
> Nagbago man ang hugis ng puso mo.  
> Handa ako hamunin ang aking mundo,  
> ’Pagka’t tuloy pa rin...”:
> 
> The song of my life still continues,  
> Even if the shape of your heart has changed.  
> I’m ready to challenge my world,  
> ‘Cause it’s still going on.
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> So, there we go! That’s another big one, as Dimitri almost fell asleep from a simple tune. Strange...
> 
> Next part is gonna continue this one, and after that, it’ll be back to university shenanigans, but this time, there will be bombshells abound.
> 
> Feel free to give feedback! :)


	15. A Little Family History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an interesting wake-up call and a breakfast session, Dimitri becomes more curious about why Claude doesn’t seem to keep a memory of his parents despite him saying that they’re only abroad. With some gentle prodding, Claude tells him the truth. 
> 
> However, Dimitri has a gut feeling that Claude isn’t telling the whole story. In the meantime, Claude sings another song at Dimitri’s request, one that seems to reflect his current feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next part of the story, and this is the first big reveal about Claude’s backstory! And all because Dimitri can’t help but be curious. (Which is a sign—)
> 
> Anyways, there will be more reveals about their schoolmates in the next chapter, and unlike the previous reveals, it wouldn’t be in a strange or a dire situation. (There’s a bribe involved; specifically the sweet tooth kind. :3)
> 
> Enjoy this new addition!

The storm remained as a constant loud noise in Dimitri’s ears when he woke up.

Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, trying to ease off the tiredness that nestled on his front. Upon regaining some of his physical senses from sleep, he realized that the heaviness wasn’t from drowsiness.

Dimitri blinked once, then twice, and his vision cleared when he saw who he was facing. 

It was Claude.

And he had his arms draped all over him.

Dimitri found it hard to move his whole body from Claude’s grasp, and for a guy who was slightly shorter than him, Claude was surprisingly clingy. As much as it was endearing, especially with the brunette’s lips making a subconscious pout whenever Dimitri tried to move away, it was still constricting. With no other option, Dimitri managed to free up one of his arms, and raised his hand to Claude’s cheek. That hand stroked the soft cheek in an attempt to rouse Claude from his sleep.

“Claude, hey...I need to move, please?”

With a groan emitted from the brunette’s lips, his eyes squeezed closed even more from the sudden noise and touch. Claude’s eyes opened, revealing his hazel-greens as they looked up at Dimitri’s baby blues. 

“Morning...” Claude stretched his arms, letting go of Dimitri’s torso. “What time is it?”

“Let me see...” Dimitri rolled to his other side and then looked at the yellow clock hung at the wall right above the clothing drawers. “It’s only 7 am.”

The thunder boomed from the outside of Claude’s room. So much for early morning.

“And the storm’s still going.” Claude drawled, sitting upright on his side of the bed. “Looks like Typhoon Cornelia’s gonna stay here for a long while.”

“Hopefully that ‘long while’ would only be today and tomorrow.” Dimitri grunted, standing upright next to the bed. Then a scent reached his nose, which urged him to sniff for the source. “Smells like breakfast.”

Claude stretched his arms, catching the scent as well. “Looks like Tita’s up. She’s usually an early bird.” 

Without much prompting, Dimitri and Claude went out of the room, and made a straight beeline to the dining table. Immediately after they entered the dining area, Edelgard and Judith were already present, the former seated and using her phone while the latter was busy making eggs and rice. 

“Dima!” Edelgard greeted, looking up briefly from her phone. “I’m surprised you woke up early, and without my help too.” She teased.

“Hush.” Dimitri pouted. “Claude was leaning against me, which got me to wake up so soon.”

The older sibling raised an eyebrow at this. “Oh? Did you two...”

“No! We didn’t!” Dimitri exclaimed. “We just slept next to each other on the same bed, and that distance got closed somehow! That’s it!”

Next to Dimitri, Claude only gave a shrug and a smile. “What he said.”

Edelgard suddenly laughed. “I was only going to ask if you shared the same bed with him! No need to be so defensive...unless—-“

“Nope. Didn’t happen.” Claude interrupted, saving Dimitri from a potentially embarrassing conversation. Speaking of which, Dimitri sat down on his place at the dining table, getting himself ready for the food that was eventually going to be served. 

Judith laid down the plate of eggs and, surprisingly for Dimitri and Edelgard, a bowl of stew made of what looked like coconut milk, some slices of chili and pork. The older woman gave a grin of pride, gazing down at her culinary work. “I learned how to make Bicol Express from the internet, and what do you know! It worked like a charm, and it tastes exactly how it should be, spicy.”

“Bicol Express?” Dimitri raised his hand. “But it sounds like the name of a train route.”

Judith nodded, sitting. “It was, but it closed down a long time back. This dish is the probably the only living legacy that train ride’s ever going to leave behind.” She clapped her hands in anticipation. “Now, let’s eat!”

There, the four of them dug in and had their meal.

—————————————

The three teenagers were then sprawled over the couches in the living room, idly watching the new episodes of The Throne all morning. While Claude and Edelgard were drawn to the scene where the princely protagonist was forced to fight a former friend in battle, Dimitri turned away in favor of taking in the condominium unit’s walls.

On the flat surfaces of the walls, there were a few small frames that held artworks, either abstract or depicting a scenery. Others were pictures, mostly of Judith; her graduation picture, her holding her diploma, and with friends. 

However, there were portraits of Claude, most notably nearby the door to his room. There was a framed photo of his graduation picture, virtually identical to his current look, with that smile Dimitri had familiarized by now. The rest were simply either him being the focus, or with Judith beside him at some tourist spot. Even if the smiles of aunt and honorary nephew were always there, Dimitri noticed the smiles that were absent.

The smiles from Claude’s parents.

Claude did say that they were abroad, didn’t he? So, logically, Dimitri thought that the brunette did keep some kind of picture to remember their faces. Although, the blonde could find no single trace of any other figure that looked like Claude’s parents anywhere. This got him confused to no end. 

The episode on television was at its end when Dimitri abruptly spoke up. “Hey, Claude?”

“Yeah, Dimitri?” Claude turned his head, still tilted from the intrigue he felt from watching the recent entry of The Throne. “You look bothered. What’s wrong?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with me.” Dimitri assured. He fixed his seating position, adjusting himself to sit upright against the couch’s backrest. Hands on his lap, fingers wringing, Dimitri continued. “It’s just...where are the pictures of your parents?”

Hazel-green eyes widened in genuine surprise; Claude didn’t expect that question. Dimitri saw this as a signal to continue.

“See, you did say that your parents were abroad, right? How come there isn’t a picture of your mom or dad here?” His eyes scanned all of the walls surrounding him, and the pictures hanging on them. “Or anywhere for that matter?”

Claude remained still after that question, as if he truly had no idea that someone dared to ask him that. Just as quickly as he was stunned, Claude gave his response. “Well, my parents simply didn’t have the means to take a photo.”  


Both Dimitri and Edelgard stared at him vacantly. “What?”

“They had no camera, so they didn’t have a picture for me to keep personally.” Claude explained. “Besides, they didn’t have much time, so a simple photo wasn’t a priority of theirs either.”

“But don’t they have phones?” Dimitri raised. “They could’ve sent you one, and even moreso since they’re in another country.” It was only a gut feeling, but Dimitri thought that Claude wasn’t telling something important to him.

“...They’re pretty busy with work, most likely.” And from the looks of it, Claude appeared disinterested, or at least tried to.

Dimitri prodded further, his head inclining more to Claude’s direction. “Are you saying that they didn’t have time for you?” 

“They’re not neglectful, just busy, and it isn’t that much of an issue.” retorted the brunette, his tone not really honing down the context of his statement.

“Claude.” Dimitri chided, voice stern. He then looked to Edelgard. “El, how about you go with Tita and help her with something? I need to speak with Claude alone.”

Edelgard consented to his request without much issue, heading to where Judith was doing her work cleaning the rooms. In the meantime, Dimitri looked back to Claude and stood up, making his way towards the latter’s room. “Come. It’ll just be between us, I promise.”

He held out a hand. “Please?”

The other boy showed hesitation, pausing with his hand mid-air. Seeing this, Dimitri inched his hand closer until it was just beneath Claude’s palm. Pale, slender fingers made a light brush against darker, slightly rougher ones. Dimitri noticed only now that Claude’s hands were littered with lighter lines, scars, he presumed. He wondered why that was the case.

Meanwhile, Claude was touched by the gentle gesture from the other boy, and so he grasped Dimitri’s hand in his own.

“Okay.”

———————————

“The truth is...my parents...they, well...”

Claude’s voice was full of lament, a far cry from his usual demeanor. This was definitely something he never really got to talk about, Dimitri assumed as he faced Claude, seated on the edge of the bed in the room.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell it straightaway.” Dimitri appealed, his gaze becoming soft. “But you must know that I will always be willing to listen. Besides, this looks like it has been a thing that you’ve kept hidden for too long and it’s most likely hurting you on the inside.” 

Therefore, Dimitri leaned back, his back fully resting against the bed’s sheet-covered mattress. His lungs took a breath, inhaling and exhaling in patience. “You can tell me while we’re lying down like this; that way, it won’t be too stressful.”

Chuckling at the little proposition, Claude followed Dimitri’s lead and lied down on the bed with a thud. His head pivoted to the side to face Dimitri’s gaze, a bit more relaxed than earlier. “Since you’ve been nothing but kind, I suppose I could tell you without issue.” His head turned back up to face the ceiling. 

“The thing is...my parents, they’re actually dead.”

Dimitri’s eyes widened. “...What? Since when?”

“Since, well...” Claude sighed, resting an arm behind his head in thought. “...a long time ago. When I was young.”

The blonde’s blue eyes remained as tender as ever when Claude turned to look at him again. So he went on. “They were becoming weaker after they’d reached their prime—I could only feel helplessness as they told me that they wouldn’t last in this world for long.” 

Claude’s eyes soon glossed over with what looked like unshed tears, yet they didn’t fall, part of the reason being that he willed them not to. “Then one day, they just...passed on. No big fanfare or anything too dramatic, my mother and father simply...died.” 

“Together in death?” Dimitri clarified.

Claude gave a solemn nod. His lips pursed into a thin line the more he tried to hold back from losing it; Claude couldn’t afford to. “It didn’t mean that it hurt any less...I took a long time to grieve before I finally moved on.” 

The brunette boy rested a hand against his chest, clenching it into a loose fist. “Yet the memories still remain; my mother, she sang the sweetest lullabies in spite of her headstrong will and fierce temper. Father, he was always generous to others, practically a good luck charm to those he met, even when adversity came. They were strict to me at times, yes, but they were my parents, the ones who ultimately made sure I lived a good life.”

Dimitri could feel that love Claude had for his deceased mother and father. Though he would never be able to meet them, Dimitri was sure that he would’ve appreciated Claude’s parents straight away because of the fact that they raised him with such love and care. 

Even moreso, they were the ones that made Claude live to begin with; without them, Dimitri certainly wouldn’t have met the most wonderful boy he’s ever seen.

However, there were some things that still didn’t ring right for Dimitri the more he thought about Claude’s words. Namely, that Claude didn’t say exactly when his parents passed away, and how long exactly had passed since their deaths. From the way Claude stated it, it felt that the ‘long time’ was so long, even if Claude was only a teenager. He just sounded so vague in that moment, and while Dimitri appreciated Claude’s honesty, the former wished that the latter would be able to open up more about himself. His past. His everything.

“You miss them everyday?”

“I still do.” Claude replied ruefully. “And I often listen or sing to music to melt the troubles away.”

“...Can you sing for me?” Dimitri requested. “I loved your singing last night; I want to hear that voice of yours again—It made me relax.” Too well, a part of Dimitri screamed in his head, not forgetting how it went down.

“Really?” Claude implored, sounding truly bewildered from this. He then let out a chuckle after seeing Dimitri pout a bit. “Alright...just come closer so that you can hear me better.”

Dimitri complied, moving to inch his body closer to Claude’s in an almost-embrace. Claude cleared his throat, and what came out of his mouth after was the return of the most beautiful sound Dimitri’s ever heard.

_ “Sa dinami-dami ng aking minahal, _

_ Panandalian lamang at ilan ang nagtagal. _

_ Iisa pa lamang ang binabalikan _

_ Alaala ng kahapong pinabayaan.” _

Blue eyes began to droop from the serenity of the lyrics. This time, Dimitri didn’t bother to fight the sleep that was about to come to him; he was someone who loved an afternoon nap once in a while. To have it ushered in by a beautiful lullaby from the boy that won his affections through song...it was a wonderful feeling.

_ “Sa dinami-dami ng aking nakapiling, _

_ Kung sinu-sino ang umibig sa akin. _

_ Iisa pa lamang ang inaasam-asam, _

_ Ang nakalipas, di maaaring balikan.” _

Claude closed his eyes as he continued to sing; he didn’t want to leave Dimitri alone if the latter was going to sleep. So he gave his all to the final lyrics for the moment, softening once his forehead leaned close to Dimitri’s.

_ “At kahit iba na ang minamahal mo, _

_ Kung sinuman ang siyang may-ari ng iyong puso. _

_ Bawa't pangalan, kalaro't kaibigan, _

_ Iisa pa lamang ang minahal ko ng ganito...” _

His voice died down to a whisper, looking at Dimitri, who finally fell asleep from the song. Usually it took another verse or more to have someone sleep to his lullabies, but it appeared that Dimitri willingly surrendered to its trance, its embrace of serenity. Claude wasn’t bothered; if he had a choice, he would love to serenade Dimitri for the rest of his life.

“I will tell you all, Dimitri...I don’t know when, but I will. Only for you.”

Then Claude closed his eyes, finally entering the world of good rest for this afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: (Song is Iisa Pa Lamang [Only One] by Lani Misalucha)
> 
> “Sa dinami-dami ng aking minahal,  
> Panandalian lamang at ilan ang nagtagal.  
> Iisa pa lamang ang binabalikan,  
> Alaala ng kahapong pinabayaan.”:
> 
> Of all the ones I’ve loved,  
> It was only temporary and a few lasted.  
> There’s only one that is returned,  
> Memories of yesterday I remember, left behind.
> 
> “Sa dinami-dami ng aking nakapiling  
> Kung sinu-sino ang umibig sa akin,  
> Iisa pa lamang ang inaasam-asam,  
> Ang nakalipas, di maaaring balikan.”:
> 
> Of the many I have chosen  
> Among those who loved me  
> There’s only one whom I hope for,  
> What has passed, can’t be brought back.
> 
> “At kahit iba na ang minamahal mo,  
> Kung sinuman ang siyang may-ari ng iyong puso.  
> Bawa't pangalan, kalaro't kaibigan,  
> Iisa pa lamang ang minahal ko ng ganito...”:
> 
> And even if your loved one is now different,  
> Regardless of whoever holds your heart.  
> Every name, every playmate, every friend,  
> There is only one person I ever loved like this...
> 
> (I don’t really have the exact translations for song lyrics like this, so I relied on what other sources have said.
> 
> Also, consider this an epiphany of love from Claude in regards to you know who. X3)  
> Additional Notes:
> 
> -Bicol Express: a spicy dish named after a former train line that went from Manila to Bicol. It became popularized in the district of Malate, in the capital. In Bicol, this is known as Sinilihan (spiced with chili), and it’s usually made with coconut milk, pork, chili (of course), shrimp paste and onions and garlic.


	16. Schoolmates’ Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days have passed since the typhoon, and everything is set to go to normal. However an idea from Sylvain has gotten some secrets to be revealed.
> 
> In the meantime, the rainbow bird makes a return, and this time, Dimitri won’t let it out of his sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The moment where more stuff is revealed! Sorry if this was a bit late, but I was thinking so hard on how to let this proceed. (Also an injury I got hours before I posted this chapter nearly made me lose my motivation.)
> 
> This also marks the return of, you guessed it from the chapter summary, the bird of many colors! The chapter after this one will be the first time Dimitri and the bird will really interact in full. Maybe after that one, the big reveal will come! (I can only hope I write this right.)
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

The days after Dimitri and Edelgard had their sleepover, they went back to Far Eastern, brownout free and debris mostly cleared out from the school’s main square. While there were traces of hard rainfall and strong winds affecting the place, most notably on the bent tree branches, it was otherwise safe for the students to return. The cement ground was still littered with puddles, and from how many they’ve managed to spot, an idea formed in their heads. 

Dimitri and Edelgard looked at each other, standing tall in a silent bid to see who can jump into the most puddles of water. 

“You’re on, El.”

“Not if I go first!” Edelgard dashed to the first puddle and made her leap, the water splashing in a circle around her feet. Not wanting to get defeated, Dimitri followed suit, jumping on a bigger puddle that drenched the bottoms of his jeans. 

This continued until one of the puddle leaps unfortunately doused Professor Seteth’s polo shirt with water. Whoops.

“Ahem.”

With no other choice, the two uttered a quick apology and bailed from the scene to their classroom. Seteth didn’t bother to reprimand them; classes were about to begin anyway.

———————————-

“Okay, that’s all for today’s class! Go enjoy your breaks, everyone!”

Professor Molinaro announced as he put down his whiteboard marker and eraser. One by one, the students frolicked to the classroom doors, excited to take their free time. By the time Dedue was done packing up his items in his leather satchel, the occupants in the classroom had already gone out.

Well, all but one.

“Oh? Dimitri, why are you still here? Don’t you have recess?”

Dimitri was already carrying his bag, all set to go, yet he didn’t move from where he stood. The blonde approached his professor. “I do have recess, it’s just—I have a favor to ask.”

Professor Molinaro had his eyebrows raised from that. Curious, he replied with, “Go ahead. What is it?”

“It’s...uh...I want to know how to say ‘I love you’ in Filipino.” Dimitri admitted with a stutter.

From that admission from the now-bashful blonde, Mr. Molinaro gave a gentle smile. “Oh? Who’s the lucky one?”

There, Dimitri struggled to say it outright. He had just reached the epiphany that he loved the boy dressed in yellow gold with the hazel-green eyes ever since that beautiful song was sang to him. By now, it got him even more motivated to learn the meaning of the lyrics serenaded that fateful afternoon. From all of the learning he did, there was one important thing that he remembered.

Namely, the word mahal meant ‘love’ in Filipino.

So he wanted to know how express his soon-to-be declaration of love in the local language. If only to show the person of Dimitri’s affections just how much he was willing to give.

“It’s...it’s someone from here. He—they, study here.”

“Hmmm...” Professor Molinaro hummed in kind understanding. “You found love in the school, that’s sweet.” He gave a reassuring pat on Dimitri’s shoulder. “The way ‘I love you’ is said in Filipino is ‘Mahal kita’ or ‘Iniibig kita’. The first one is the one that is used more often.”

“Mahal kita...” Dimitri repeated to himself, and let out a relieved chuckle at that very easy hurdle. “That’s great, Professor; thank you so much!” He then turned to the door and took his leave, almost failing to hear a “Tell me how it goes when you’re done!” from the Mr. Molinaro.

The teen was soon out at the hallway, breathing out that sigh of relief. It was only the easy part, as the harder stage had yet to come. And it was made a bit harder when a ‘Hey!’ caused him to jump out of being startled.

A feminine, almost alto voice chuckled from the reaction. “Dima, are you truly that nervous?”

“El?!” Dimitri nearly exclaimed, still recovering from the surprise greeting. Then the implications set in when he realized that she was standing next to their classroom’s door. Which meant only one thing. 

“Oh no...you must’ve heard about it.” Dimitri groaned, putting his face in his hands out of embarrassment.

To this, Edelgard only gave a sisterly pat on Dimitri’s shoulder. She tilted her head, ever emphasized by her tiny, yet carefree smile. “If you’re afraid that I wouldn’t approve, don’t worry—I know that you care for him so much. And from what I’ve seen a few days ago, he cares for you too. So, I only hope that you keep on holding onto that.”

Overwhelmed by the words of approval from his dear sister, Dimitri gave her a big hug, to which she returned after managing to wriggle her arms out of his surprisingly strong grip. “Thank you...thank you, really.”

“Anything for my brother.”

—————————————-

Dimitri finally sat down with Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix for the first time since the suspension of classes, and really, they missed the face-to-face interactions that they liked so much.

As the four were lounging at the table eating the local biscuits and chips, from the corner of Sylvain’s eye, he spotted a petite girl with near-silver hair seating down on her own spot in the cafeteria. From there, he gave a little ‘psst’ to his tablemates and gestured his arms in a huddle. At first, Ingrid, Felix and Dimitri had no clue what Sylvain had in mind, until he spoke up in a hushed whisper.

“Hey, there’s Lysithea...we can probably ask her to spill the beans.”

“Spill what? If she likes you romantically?” Felix deadpanned, then started leaned out of the huddle. “Not going for it—-“

“Not that, Felix!” Sylvain retorted, voice still hushed. The redhead pulled Felix back into the inner circle, much to the latter’s almost blown out dismay. “I meant we can get her to tell us about what’s up with the weird stuff going on with her and our other classmates!”

“Is this about the incident with the doll and the insect whispering?” Ingrid asked, to which Sylvain confirmed with a nod.

“Right. What better way to know the truth than to ask the source herself?” 

Dimitri looked to Lysithea, and she was currently engrossed in reading her notes and important readings for her subjects. Lysithea had a definite reputation for having a hardworking, and admittedly harsh, work ethic, and it showed. Her forehead lines were scrunched in full concentration, pages from readings were turned noisily. Highlighting vital words and writing important terms on cue cards were a constant in her sessions, and it sometimes went on even after break time. Plus, the people near her table knew better than to approach the girl when she was busy with keeping herself afloat with studies.

However, Sylvain’s proposition to interrupt Lysithea in order to make her spill the beans could prove to be a hurdle.

“Sylvain,” Ingrid began, his lip scrunching in uncertainty. “I do want to know about what’s going on as much as you do, but...” The voice of hers hissed nervously from the implications. “...you know Lysithea has a reputation for giving an earful to someone who would bother her in her study hours, right?”

Despite the warning, Sylvain didn’t appear interested to back out from this plan of action altogether. If anything, he simply gave a guffaw from the possibility of let alone considering that thought. “Come on, guys! Trust me, I’ve already found a way to handle this.”

Felix crossed his arms, raising a brow. “And that is...?”

“Rumor has it that Lysithea refuses any kind of bribe to be convinced to disclose information, but!” Sylvain paused for dramatic effect, and the sudden loudness of his voice got some people to turn their heads to the four’s table. 

“Whoops. Anyways—as I was saying, there is a way to get her to tell us.” He leaned closer and gestured the other three to do the same, to which they complied with some reluctance. “And that it to give her something sweet, like a cupcake or a cookie. Apparently, she can’t resist a sweet when she sees one.”

“And where did you get this information?” Dimitri added, eyes narrowing slightly. 

“From this guy named Raphael; he’s friendly with practically everyone, and he enjoys a good meal when he tastes and smells it.” Sylvain responded. “Now, all we need is a cookie; do you guys have any? I forgot to buy one and my pesos are limited.” The redhead’s voice became sheepish as he told this.

Ingrid dug into her bag first, her hand searching for any sweet treat she might have. After a few more seconds, she pulled her hand out and shook her head. “Nope. None from my bag. Felix?”

Felix shrugged and shook his head too.  
Now it all boiled down to Dimitri, who patted his pockets, and conveniently enough, there was something in his pocket. Curious, Dimitri reached into his pocket to pull out a cookie, neatly sealed in plastic and it was chocolate chip flavored.

“Huh. I do have one.” Dimitri spoke out, being just as surprised as his friends. Because before that moment, there was nothing hiding in his pants’ pocket. Very strange for him indeed; did someone magically place the thing they needed? Though Dimitri wasn’t able to raise this question as Sylvain made the move to stand up and proceed to Lysithea’s table.

“Great! Let’s go to her table and do what we’re set to do!” 

———————-

Lysithea only stared at the four, unimpressed. 

“I’m sorry, but in case if you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty busy with studies. Midterms are no joke.” She opened up her bundle of papers, back to where she was last reading. “I can’t afford to slack off here and now, not during a break!”

It looked she wasn’t going to budge despite anything. So Sylvain’s head gestured to Dimitri, signaling him to give the object of interest. Hence, Dimitri pulled out the ever simple, yet delectable cookie from his pocket. From the moment she saw this treat, Lysithea’s eyes went wide, and her hand subconsciously aimed to reach for it. 

Only for her to recognize what she was about to do and promptly shook her head. 

“I can’t be tempted now! B-But it looks delectable...no, I can’t.” Lysithea muttered to herself, trying to sway off the temptation.

Seeing this, Ingrid had an idea. She immediately whispered into Dimitri’s ear which were, from the state of things, instructions to lay out the plan. Dimitri met this with a smile and began to speak up again. “Oh, but Lysithea...you have been going on studying for, what, half an hour straight without even eating anything! It would be very bad for you if you don’t at least take a bite to replenish your energy.”

Her face scrunched as she felt the tell tale signs of hunger sinking in. How long did she actually stay seated without letting her eyes off of her studies? Furthermore, if she did starve, it would impede her focus...ah, well.

Between getting drained over reading and taking a small break for a little dessert, Lysithea gave in. “...Give me the cookie, please.” 

———————————

“So, what do you want to know?” Lysithea asked, taking a big bite of the chocolate chip.

“Everything.” Sylvain stated bluntly. “We have an inkling that you have weird stuff that you do with that doll you bring to Uni, and not because you bring it everyday.”

“What he means to say is...” Ingrid added, taking her time to take a glare at Sylvain for impolite tone. “Is your doll some kind of magic thing?”

Lysithea took her time to take in the questions, even pulling out the little makeshift rag doll from her bag. “You want to see something interesting?” She offered, pulling out what appeared to be a thin strand of hair and a small pin. Dimitri remembered his friends mentioning these items as the ones they saw Lysithea holding during the Professor Acheron incident. 

Driven to see this for himself, Dimitri nodded. “Show us.”

Then from there, Lysithea tied that thin hair strand to the doll’s arm, and whispered some words from another language that wasn’t Filipino. It sounded ancient, and if it were ever written, would have been represented through archaic writing to Dimitri’s ears.

_ “Now I send a curse _

_ To the life I bind this doll to. _

_ May my magic synchronize _

_ And live to terrorize them too.” _

Just then, a dark purple aura of sorts was emitted from Lysithea’s hand. It was vibrant, but not bright enough to warrant attention. Sylvain, Felix and Ingrid’s eyes were wide from the avowedly captivating sight. This was their first time seeing magic being conjured for something; for Dimitri, it wasn’t the first time for him to see such things, remembering the time when Dorothea revealed her true form.

After more seconds of channeling power, the aura dimmed and the silverette held up her doll in subtle pride. “Now, the training dummy.”

At the same time she said this, Professor Acheron came into the cafeteria, holding his bag full of papers and subject syllabus. The moment he even stepped foot into the place, all of the students immediately flocked away from the man, making their distaste for the professor pretty obvious from the get-go.

“Are you gonna do what we think you’re gonna do?” Felix inquired, eyeing the professor, a glare ever present in his eyes.

“Just watch.” Then Lysithea pinched the forehead of the doll, and from the other end, Professor Acheron jumped in pain. He clutched his forehead, causing him to drop his suitcase. The four students looked on, dumbfounded by the thing they just saw. 

“That was...” Dimitri began.

“The exact same spot.” Ingrid finished. “I can’t believe this is true.”

To further hone in their disbelief, Lysithea tugged onto the left arm of the doll, and then pulled it as hard as she could. At the same time, Professor Acheron screamed from the excruciating pain from his left arm.

“Argh! My arm feels like its about to detach itself from my shoulder—-agggh!” 

Which was exactly Lysithea was trying to do with her doll conduit. The more she tugged, the more the thread on the doll’s arm snapped off and detached. When the arm was halfway through being taken off, Lysithea let go of the doll and placed it back. When she stopped, so did Professor Acheron’s painful howls, and he could only let his own left arm dangle useless from just how much agony the poor thing went through. The other students could only look on in both confusion and relief as Acheron went out of the cafeteria and to the clinic, not caring if he left behind his papers.

“Hoy! Ipalit tayo ‘yung mga scores natin sa test papers niya!”

Then a sizeable amount of students went through his bag and pulled out the papers to do their karmic forgery for the professor. Meanwhile, Lysithea looked to Dimitri, Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix, smirking.

“I hope that answers your question. Now I need to get back to work—-“

“Wait!” Sylvain called, stopping her for a moment. “If you have those abilities...then what are you?”

“Oh, me? Well...” Lysithea leaned closer to the four, cupping her mouth to whisper. “I come from a clan of magic practitioners. Here, I’m called a Mangkukulam, but in my hometown of Siquijor, I’m known as a Mamalarang, though I don’t do the specific kind of magic that the last one is known for.” 

Dimitri listened on with astonishment. So that definitely explained her ability to conjure up curses and use a doll as a conduit. Considering who was target of her magic, he found it hard to condone Lysithea for doing undue justice against the ass that is Professor Acheron. 

Lysithea continued. “Well, I could tell you more, but I need to get back to my studies, so if you please...” 

Then Dimitri felt something in his pocket again, and he pulled it out to see another cookie, a sugar one this time, neatly wrapped. He was sure that he wasn’t the one who kept making this cookies, further supported by Lysithea saying, “Where did you get that? That looks delectable...”

Seeing the opportunity, Dimitri handed it over to the girl. “Tell us more.”

Lysithea rolled her eyes, partially from exasperation. “If you insist...” She then closed her book and put away her readings completely, and faced the four, gaze focused. “As I said earlier, I’m a Mangkukulam, or a witch in layman’s terms. My kind of magic is through using a doll and connecting it to a person’s soul to inflict harm. And for the record, I only harm those whom I find despicable.” They looked back to the area where Professor Acheron once stood. Good riddance to the man who only loved to make things hard for the students in Far Eastern.

“There is another who is like me, except he uses insects as his conduits and commands them to do his bidding. He’s a Mambabarang, one from a clan of them in Capiz.”

Felix gasped when he remembered who did just that in a certain insectarium in Manila. “Hubert.”

The silverette nodded. “That’s right. He mostly uses butterflies and moths as his insects of choice, unconventional for a typical Mambabarang, but he is effective in using them. So much so, he’s been called La Mariposa de la Muerte by the Spanish officials who met his wrath.”

“The Butterfly of Death...” Sylvain repeated, translating the sobriquet. “For someone who doesn’t talk much, he told you a lot about this, huh?”

“He did, partially because he was tired of keeping that secret after almost a century.” Lysithea commented. “Hubert must’ve felt comforted by the fact that he’s not the only one who uses magic around here. Or who is supernatural in nature for any matter.”

The comment about Hubert’s century-long secret didn’t fly by the other teens’ heads. Ingrid in particular pointed it out. “Wait, so Hubert’s actually...”

“Much older than you think? Yep. He looks young because because of his heritage and the fact that he’s one of the younger Mangbabarang.” answered Lysithea, very nonchalant about the fact. “I’m also a bit older than you think despite my baby face; so much older than my physical age because of my powers.”

“Are there any others like you around here?” Dimitri inquired. “Anyone who is actually a supernatural being?” 

For that, Lysithea scrunched her eyes and placed her hand in her chin, thinking hard and trying to recall. “Let’s see...I do know that Ignatz is one too, but a kind of Engkanto called a Palasekan. His power is communicating with the trees by whistling to them, and in turn, the trees give him a quick prediction of events. Oftentimes, he even gets prophecies from them.” She scowled for a moment. “I knew I should’ve heeded his words when he told me earlier that some people will interrupt my concentration.”

Now Dimitri got his answer for how Ignatz managed to save him last minute in Luneta. The nice, viridian haired teen was one who was able to foretell events by the trees, and it also explained why he whistled a lot during their outbound art class in question. With the matching green hair and eyes, Dimitri wished he got the hint so soon.

Then again, he never really got into the loop to begin with. 

“That’s all I can tell you now, so please, just go on with what you need to do.” Lysithea addressed, though not long after the four turned to leave, she called out again, this time directly towards Dimitri. “By the way...I know you didn’t just bring those cookies out of nowhere. Someone’s given them to you through magical means; I know, because I’m not the one who did it, as my magic doesn’t do that kind of thing.”

To test her hypothesis, Dimitri dug into his pocket for the third time, and rather than pulling out a cookie, he pulled something else that him gasp from where he stood.

What he pulled out was a fine plumage colored green, but against the fluorescent lights, it revealed a gradient shaded with many colors. 

It was no child’s play; this was a feather from only one source.

“The bird...it must have been the one who blessed me with the food...”

“And the one that gave you the thing to bribe me.” Lysithea grumbled. “As shady as it was...speaking of, that kind of thing reminds of—-“

“Wait! It’s there!” Sylvain pointed to the window behind Lysithea. 

Perched atop the window sill, there was a creature colored gold, with the red tufts atop its crown, main body colored gold for its plumage, and the wings and tail assorted with a color kaleidoscope. It looked on towards the group, its green eyes focused on the blonde with the fringe and baby blue eyes. Then just as quickly as it appeared, the bird expanded its wings to fly away.

However, Dimitri didn’t let that slip; he rushed towards the window at full speed. “Hey! Don’t get away!” 

He stopped and gripped at the window rail, disappointed at the bird’s seeming disappearance. But his disappointment was short-lived, as the bird rose up and gazed directly at Dimitri’s eyes. The green orbs were hypnotizing to the blonde, the ethereal presence of the creature alone leaving him entranced to its spell, even if there wasn’t any. Then a voice rang in his head, mystical at its tone.

“Sundan mo ako...”

Follow me? What was the creature on about, Dimitri wondered. It was speaking telepathically, that was confirmed, but why did the creature want him to follow it? He could only leave it to the bird to explain.

“Sa gitna...doon sa parisukat.”

Then it flew away, presumably to the place it wanted Dimitri to go to. Confused and curious were the current feelings Dimitri had in his mind and soul right now; what did the bird want and why? Just as he was staring blankly at the outside, Lysithea, followed by Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix came up to him.

“That bird...it only wanted you, for some reason.” Felix surmised. “It didn’t go away in an instant the moment you approached it.”

“Right...did it say anything?” Ingrid added.

“It said go to the center...to some parisukat.” Dimitri recalled. “Though I’m not sure what a parisukat is.”

“Parisukat is a square, and if my guess is correct, that rainbow bird is telling you to go to Far Eastern’s central square!” Lysithea pushed Dimitri towards the cafeteria door. “Go get to it, Dimitri! Maybe we’ll finally get some answers from that thing as to why the Sudden Sleep Incident happened!”

With the literal push from Lysithea, and the shouts of “Go there!” from his other three friends, Dimitri rushed out, ready to come face to face with the bird for the first time in several days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional Notes:
> 
> -Mangkukulam: directly meaning ‘one who curses’, the Mangkukulam is a witch capable of performing black magic. The most common type of magic they do is use a conduit (aka a ragdoll), have it linked to the victim via hair or nail clippings, then inflict harm on the doll to cause harm to the victims. Aside from that, they can also use magic and superstition to curse people even without an effigy. Oddly enough, putting a broom by the door can deter it from entering a home.
> 
> -Mambabarang: the Visayan variation of a warlock, and the females are called Malalarang. They’re similar to the Mangkukulam, as both can inflict curses and illnesses on victims with their magic. The difference is the conduit of choice; the Mambabarang primarily uses insects as their medium and can actually kill their targets, as opposed to the Mangkukulam that only inflict pain and/or illness. The Mambabarang gets a hair strand from their target and ties it to their insect of choice (usually a beetle, as barang is also a term for beetle) and then control armies of that insect to torment their victim. Sometimes, they carry a hollow bamboo necklace that has ginger root, which they feed to their little insect minions.
> 
> -Palasekan: an Engkanto from Ilocano folklore who is connected with the trees. Mostly benevolent, they whistle to communicate warnings from the trees to the people, and will get offended if their home is damaged. They have a great appreciation from music, even making their own using instruments from nature. The Palasekan is capable of precognition, predicting events from accidents to incoming tragedies. (Though in this case, Ignatz can either get predictions with or without the trees’ help.)
> 
> So, what did you guys think? Very big reveals these were, and the biggest one is yet to come.
> 
> Feel free to give feedback. :)


	17. The Ballad of the Rainbow Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri follows onto the mysterious bird’s command to follow him to the university square where, conveniently, no one is present to witness his face-to-face meeting with the little creature that he rescued in the beginning.
> 
> One magical forehead touch later, Dimitri is transported to an unfamiliar dimension, where he is treated with the visions from the bird’s ballad, and he sees a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here’s the moment we’ve been waiting for; the reunion between Dimitri and the bird of many colors. Here is where we will see the full reveal as to what, or rather who is this rainbow bird.  
> (To anyone and everyone who paid attention to the clues throughout the story, here’s your chance to see if you’ve got it right!)
> 
> Enjoy the reveal!

With nothing left to lose (except a possible scheduled class), Dimitri rushed down the stairs, all the way to the first floor of the university’s main building. Footsteps were frantic and quick-paced as he quickly zoomed passed oncoming students, not caring if he even bumped into them. What mattered was seeing the little bird again.

For the first time since his early days in Far Eastern, he was going to once more see the creature that kickstarted the strangeness that he encountered in his University and beyond. After Dimitri healed its wing, all he ever got from the days onward were feathers of different color in the places where it once been. Throughout those times, Dimitri kept the feathers as a memento of sorts, as he was driven to the little bird’s mysterious nature.

He always wondered what the little avian really was; based on the Sudden Sleep Incident from several days prior, Dimitri was given two possibilities, the Adarna and the Sarimanok. Either of them were viable answers to the bird’s true nature, but really, Dimitri wanted to see for himself.

Speaking of which, he managed to reach the center square of the open area of Far Eastern. As he looked around, conveniently, there was no one present in the area. It seemed that the students were in their classrooms by now, busy with their sessions with the teachers. 

Dimitri found the little rainbow bird perched at the cement platform of the open square. It remained still atop its place, yet somehow it appeared patient, expecting its visitor to come. With said visitor being Dimitri, he didn’t waste time to get close to the avian and kneel close to it.

“Hello there...” Dimitri gave a little wave of his hand. “It looks like we meet again. It’s been a while, a month or two actually, since I’ve seen you.” He looked straight at the bird’s bright green hues, glowing with its power. Those hues flickered with every blink the bird made. 

“What made you want to lead me here? Surely, there must be something...” Dimitri’s gaze towards the little avian remained gentle. “Why did you put my friends to some magic sleep? And how did you know I needed help earlier, and the days before that?” He went all out; Dimitri wasn’t going to leave with unanswered questions.

The bird only kept quiet, instead moving towards Dimitri, reaching up to touch its head with his. On the one hand, the blonde got puzzled as to why it was doing that, until a wave of something powerful hit him. He could only feel its energy coming to him in waves, and next thing he knew, all of the surroundings of the university dissolved, giving way to an ivory white sky all around him.

From outside, a giant circle, a portal of sorts, was enveloping both boy and bird within its confines. Soon, the portal closed, taking the two with it.

———————————————-

Dimitri’s eyes opened.

The sight that he saw was something different, way unlike the familiar scenery of Manila he gazed at everyday. The blue sky and the skyscrapers were replaced with the ivory white canvas painted above and around him, the buildings of Far Eastern now changed to an idyllic meadow of fine green grass.

At his front, there was a hill crested with grass and flowers of many kinds; at the top being a tree, yet it was an unconventional one, for it was laden with the color silver for its trunk and branches, then gold for its leaves. 

“What...W-Where...am I?” 

A flap from a pair of wings got him to look at the silver tree, and approached to where the bird sat atop its branches. Then a voice echoed in his mind, telepathic.

“Piedras Platas...my sanctuary.” It was the bird answering, looking on at the teen. “You need not be afraid. I only wish to sing for you.”

A song? Dimitri thought that if this bird would explain everything through such, he might as well listen. So he nodded. “Go on.”

Then the bird’s already yellow plumage on its main body glowed bright, and so it opened its beak, letting out a melodic tune that was so human-like to the ears. 

_ “The story begins long ago _

_ Way before you were even born. _

_ When two different creatures flew _

_ And came together up the sky’s horn...” _

The ivory sky suddenly changed itself, transforming into the bright blue sky that he was familiar with. Then two creatures came into view. One was rooster like in appearance, its feathers assorted with so much color all around its whole figure. The other was dove like in features, also colored aplenty, though more subdued. From the way they appeared, Dimitri correctly guessed that these were actually the birds of myth, the former being the Sarimanok, the latter the Adarna.

They swirled together, flying in a circle with their wingspan going wide. Their heads touched each other’s in a gesture of affection.

_ “They fell in love, the birds from _

_ Different lands, and as one _

_ The two bore a son _

_ A child hailing both their hearts.” _

The whole scenery changed to a man and a woman, wearing decorative robes fitting their figures. Upon closer inspection, Dimitri saw that the color patterns of their outfits matched the ones found on the birds. This left him no doubt, those were the Adarna and Sarimanok from earlier.

With the couple, held in the woman’s arms, was a baby wrapped in clothing weaved in intricate patterns. Dimitri walked closer, despite not being noticed by the little family of three. When he looked into the baby bundle, the little one opened his eyes, revealing hazel-green.

Dimitri gasped as he realized who he just looked at. “Claude...?”

“Tiana...” the man’s voice spoke. “He’s such a blessing, isn’t he?”

“Indeed he is, Hadji...” the woman, Tiana, replied. “I’m certain he will be eternal...forever a protector to the people here.”

“That’s why we named our son that...” Hadji stroked the baby’s cheek. “Khalid.”

_ “The son had learned so much _

_ From his father, the power of luck _

_ Then his mother, the blessing of song. _

_ He held onto them strong.” _

Now it shifted to a room in a building, presumably a palace, based on the intricate decorations carved on the pillars and walls. The baby from earlier now grew to a little boy, seated with his parents on the paisley rug. Khalid giggled, as he messed up a note from the song his mother tried to teach him. 

“I know you can get it right, Khalid.” Tiana said, holding up the scroll again. “From the top.”

“Yes, mother!” Khalid cheered, and this time, the little boy’s voice turned melodic as he sung the first lyrics out.

Then it changed to an open field, Hadji holding up a spear on one side. The other side had Khalid, his arms and hands bare. 

“Your abilities must save your life in this instance.” Hadji instructed, lifting up the lance. “Just push your arms out.”

Without warning, Hadji threw the weapon in his son’s direction, Dimitri gasping out from the potentially-fatal move. At the last second, Khalid’s hands thrusted outward, and the spear bounced back from an invisible force surrounding the boy’s palms. Hadji looked on with pride, to which Khalid smiled in return.

“Good job, my son.”

———————————-

_ “Then the land he called home _

_ Got threatened by war looming. _

_ He stepped up to defend _

_ All the people worth living.” _

The scenery changed to reflect the mood of the new set of lyrics. In the plains, there arrived men, clad in steel armor and helmets. Carrying with them the flag of a new empire. 

Khalid now appeared physically 12 years of age, and he wore a full-sleeved shirt colored gold, a sash tied on his waist, and pants with the same shade as his shirt. His outfit had distinct patterns that reflected the culture he grew up in. He saw the incoming troops of armored foreign men, and he rushed back to his parents just nearby. 

“Mother, Father...” he panted, voice nearly panicking. “Strange men...they’re here.”

Tiana’s eyes narrowed. “It’s just as I feared...Khalid, make sure you’re there at the villagers’ side in case they need aid.”

The boy nodded, and in an instant transformed into a little bird, whose form that by now, Dimitri was familiar with. Khalid flew straight to the village, where he discovered it in ruins. Thankfully, there were some people left alive, so he trilled a gentle tune, healing those hurt.

_ “The son of the avians rose up _

_ Becoming an asset to Maguindanao’s kings _

_ And so he kept going to fight _

_ Despite what invaders would bring.” _

It changed again, this time back to the palace, where an older man stood next to a Khalid who’d only grown 14 years physically. 

“Khalid...” the man began to speak, adjusting the kris hanging on the side of his waist. “Are you certain you can do this? Your know that your parents will not let me go unharmed if something were to happen to you.”

Khalid, whose face remained determined, nodded. “I am sure. I can impede the invading Spaniards in no time.” His eyebrows crunched down in slight irritation. “You know that I’m not any ordinary being, Sultan Kudarat.”

Sultan Kudarat sighed, shaking his head, though out of worry. “Khalid, just...keep your wits at you.” He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, a fatherly gesture. “Please come back safely.”

Khalid bowed his head. “I promise.” Then he leapt and transformed into his bird form, flying out the palace. Sultan Kudarat could only look on, readying his kris. 

“Oh Allah, may you bless us with strength for our fight against the invaders...and please, keep the boy safe from harm...”

Dimitri hoped for the same, even if he knew that the outcome was favorable.

—————————-

_ “Soon the land got trapped _

_ In a far bigger war. _

_ And now the son was alone _

_ For his parents entered death’s door.” _

The ivory sky dimmed from the smoke that came with bombs exploding on all ends. Khalid was now standing in a barren rice field, alone and hanging onto the kris that his parents left behind for him. 

It had been the Americans who came to his home, and at that time, his parents passed on, weakened from age and waning powers. His hands bled from the wounds he sustained trying to fend off the invading Americans, but now it seemed that the new ones that came to the picture, the Japanese, were even worse. 

Now came a good time to change his agenda. 

When a soldier in beige came to his direction, a white flag with a red sun engraved on it, Khalid drew his kris and clashed against the Japanese man’s bayonet. 

_ “He fought once more, bringing in _

_ His fortune to bless, his songs to heal. _

_ Through it all, he had someone _

_ Whom he loved, the feeling surreal.” _

From where he stood, Dimitri saw the background stay the same, except this time, it was in an area where there wasn’t much blood pooling on the ground. Khalid was standing in front of another person, this time a youth close to his physical age of 16. The other boy wore a soldier’s attire, was blonde, hair reaching his shoulders, and his eyes shining a radiant blue that met Khalid’s hazel-green. 

In Khalid’s hands was the other’s arm, wrapped up in bandages.

“In all honesty, you should be more careful when you get out there.” Khalid scolded, rubbing on the callous surface of the bandage, an aura enveloping it. “Next time, I might not be able to heal you.”

The other laughed, showing his smile. “Don’t worry about it, Khalid. I’m sure my commander will assign me to a safer position after seeing that battle’s outcome.”

“He better.” Khalid pouted. “Besides, I’m sure I can do a better strategy than your superior.”

“Bold claim right there.” The blonde commented, amused. Then his gaze turned tender, bringing his hand to Khalid’s cheek. “I’m serious though, Khalid...I will be safe.” His head leaned closer to the brunette’s.

Khalid responded in kind, having their foreheads touch. “When all of this is over...will you come home to me?”

“Always.”

———————————

_ “But alas, the love was cut short _

_ As his dear soldier fell wounded. _

_ The soldier dying in his arms, the son grieved _

_ For first his parents’, then his love’s lives had ended.” _

Now the scene shifted to a battlefield, covered in scarlet red. Bodies of soldiers all over laid on the ground, either unconscious or worse. Dimitri found Khalid kneeling, his arms cradling the blonde soldier he loved, who sadly passed on. The blonde soldier lost his right eye in his last battle, his torso bleeding heavily from his fatal wounds. Khalid had arrived too late, only hearing his love’s final words being, “Thank you for loving me...”

From there, Khalid wept silent tears, hiccuping here and there, feeling the pain from losing the only one he had left. 

“I’m sorry I came too late...” Khalid sobbed, trying to hold himself together, even when no one was watching. “I’m so sorry...”

Dimitri had the urge to react for the first time since he saw the other’s childhood. He wanted to reach out to Claude—no, Khalid, and then embrace him if it meant the other boy would be comforted. But even as he called out Khalid’s name, Dimitri was left ignored for it was only a mirage of memories.

_ “So in his grief, he fell asleep. _

_ Tired from all the wars that came _

_ Drained from the powers he exerted. _

_ Hurt from having his loved ones claimed.” _

———————————-

Now the surroundings had changed to a Mindanao that was a bit more modern, in spite of it being still in the past. 

Khalid appeared, now in the look Dimitri knew him for, despite his outfit being one that was still suitable for three decades past. His face remained somber, in spite being well rested for years after 1945. 

_ “Years on, he woke up again _

_ Expectant for peace to come. _

_ Instead, he heard of another war _

_ This time against where his mother came from.” _

Khalid/Claude’s words echoed in Dimitri’s head as he heard the lyrics. That the Adarna came from the north, in Luzon, which meant...

This was the beginning of the civil conflict in the area. He heard about this several times in history class, how rebel groups in Mindanao clashed against the government out of desire to secede and be finally free from those usurping their lands. Never would Dimitri think he would witness this era for himself. 

Khalid stood on next to the aftermath of one of the rebel group’s terrorist attacks, and after singing a healing incantation, he transformed to fly up north.

_ “Not wanting to lose anymore lives, _

_ He tried, and tried and tried _

_ To forge ties of amity between the clashing peoples _

_ Before even more hostility arrived.” _

After a brief scene of Khalid landing in the past Manila, he rushed to a building, presumably to speak with important people present. Then it changed to a scene where he sat amongst a group of people in a meeting, all arguing how to proceed with the peace process. Dimitri could not hear exactly what they were saying, as the voices became silent in the memory. He did see Khalid stand up and he appeared to speak loudly, but not too rudely. Everyone in the room remained silent as Khalid spoke his piece.

_ “But it all came to a head _

_ Three years prior _

_ When the home he once lived in _

_ Was now set on fire. _

_ The son moved to save lives _

_ Though his own became endangered _

_ He had no choice but to flee up north _

_ Alone, alive and injured.” _

The next bit of scenery was probably the bloodiest one yet, as Dimitri heard explosions ringing from a city, and people running for cover, many bleeding from the debris. Amongst the crowd, he spotted Khalid running back to create quick barriers against incoming piles of cement and wood flying by the explosion. His efforts remained unhindered, until one particularly nasty grenade detonated near him, causing him to fly back from the impact, hitting a concrete staircase. 

Khalid’s head and arms bled heavily, and one man approached him amidst the many who were running.

“Hoy, Khalid, what were you doing?!” The man scolded, worried. “You ran back and what happened? You got hurt!”

“I know that, Tiyo Nader—-ack!” Khalid sat up, hissing from the pain. “I needed to protect them from the airstrikes!”

“I’m aware, but what will happen if you end up dead? How will the people in Marawi be alright if you died because of recklessness?”

“I wasn’t being reckless! My timing was fine; it’s just that stupid grenade got in the way.”

Nader sighed. “Tell you what—you need to go to Manila, and recover there. I have a friend, her name is Judith. You will stay with her for the time being.”

“But Tiyo, I couldn’t just leave the people here!”

“They will be fine!” Nader reassured. “Everyone in charge is making sure they all flee safely. Now go!”

With no other option, Khalid transformed into his bird form, but the wounds from his human form remained. He was able to fly up fine, though the injuries he sustained proved to be a heavy burden.

Then the scene changed to a street in Manila, where a woman was simply walking along. Dimitri recognized her as Judith, from the long dark hair in the ponytail style.

Suddenly a white portal came in, and out came the rainbow bird, blood still flowing from his wounds. Judith stepped back in shock, and light enveloped the bird, transforming him back to his human form. After that, Khalid fainted, and almost hit the ground. Thankfully, Judith caught him in time.

“Ay! What happened to you? Who are you?!”

“Kha...Khalid...” the teen replied, losing consciousness once again.

_ “He longs for the day his home _

_ Can finally be at peace _

_ Until then, the heart of the son _

_ Could only feel unease.” _

“So, are you sure you want to take this name?” Judith questioned the teen next to her.

“I’m sure.” Khalid replied, writing the name on one of his schoolbooks. “Might as well have a fresh slate—-I’ve lived as Khalid for long enough, and with that name, I’ve seen too much war and suffering from my home.”

“But why Claude?” added Judith. 

“It’s an easy name to take, honestly.” responded the brunette. “Besides, with my true nature being a near-immortal bird colored with the rainbow, I had to change my identity at some point. I couldn’t just stick to one name and get someone to be suspicious about it from my agelessness.”

“Alright...Claude Radiamoda it is then. Welcome to the family.”

“...Thanks.” Khalid, now Claude, muttered as Judith moved to embrace him.

—————————

Dimitri’s whole surroundings changed for the last time, and now it was back to what is was the first time: the green grass, the little hill with flowers and the silver and gold tree. It was back to Piedras Platas once more.

There on the tree’s branch, from where the bird once sat, now had a familiar figure in its place. The person smiled, but it was melancholic, and his eyes glossed with the tell-tale sign of tears.

Dimitri finally spoke up. “...Claude.” He moved even closer, up until he was right below the other teen.

Claude sighed, his smile still on in spite of his eyes feeling otherwise. “Now you know.” He gracefully glided down, directly in front of the other. “It was a hard decision, but...I knew I had to show you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional Notes:
> 
> -Piedras Platas: literally meaning ‘silver stones’ in Spanish, it is the abode of the Ibong Adarna in its titular story. Often described as the Tree of Diamond because of its ethereal nature. (In this case, this was originally Claude’s mother’s home, and it serves as a separate dimension that Claude passes by whenever he teleports via portal.)
> 
> -Sultan Kudarat **(born 1581; reigned from 1619-1671)** : Full name Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat, he was a Sultan from the Sultanate of Maguindanao, considered to be the most famous sultan from the Philippines. He is known for leading his troops against the Spanish invaders and hindering the spread of Catholicism much like the neighboring leaders from the Sultanate of Sulu and the Confederation of Sultanates in Lanao. (Just a bonus, Kudarat is derived from the Arabic ‘Qudarat’, meaning ‘power’.)
> 
> -Islamic Insurgency in the Philippines: a decades long conflict since 1969 between the Philippine government and the Moro ( _local term for the Islamized ethnolinguistic groups of Mindanao, Sulu and parts of Palawan _) rebels with the latter aiming to establish an independent Mindanao state._  
>  From the 400 year history that most of Mindanao had resisting foreign rule, this became one of its biggest outcomes post-Philippine independence. It has since died down mostly in recent years, with the development of the Bangsamoro (Moro Nation) Organic Law, which became the basis for the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which would replace the ARMM. (I hoped this note was as objective as possible.)_
> 
> _  
>  -2017 Siege of Marawi: An armed struggle between the Philippine government and the terrorist Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups. This has been the longest urban battle in modern Philippine history, lasting 5 months between May and October. (And from personal experience, when I was still in high school, me and my classmates were asked to donate necessities to the troops battling there. We even wrote letters to the Philippine Army as an encouraging gesture to help them win the battle.)  
> _
> 
> _  
> _( _This goes to show that even if these mythical creatures existed in this verse, they are still subject to the history that transpired, so they have seen it all.)  
>  So, that’s the big reveal right there! My god, it was fun to write, and I wrote the ballad that the bird sings in this chapter.___
> 
> ___Next part is the other big thing we’re waiting for, the love confession scene. :3_ _ _
> 
> ____Feel free to give feedback. :)_  
> _ _ _


	18. Ligaya’t Pag-Ibig Ko’y Ikaw (My Happiness and Love is You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Claude had finally shown Dimitri the truth about himself, he opens his heart to the other, confronting long overdue feelings he hadn’t let himself express in a long time.
> 
> Then, confessions are shared, and a promise is made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The confession scene, the one part I wanted to write so badly. I almost cried myself while was writing this part. So, get your tissues ready.
> 
> Anyways, I recommend that you listen to this song: Ikaw by Yeng Constantino (it’s where I also got the title of this chapter from, through one of her lyrics); here’s the link (translations are included!): https://youtu.be/G98sUGtbgn8
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this new addition!

Claude had never looked so despondent since the day Dimitri met him.

Usually, Dimitri expected some wisecracking words or a laidback exchange between himself and the other teen. However, with what he just witnessed earlier, the flashes of Claude’s memories, all of the hardship the latter had to go through...

And to top it all, the fact that Claude was indeed the bird he rescued, made this current situation all the more bittersweet. 

At the beginning, Dimitri had wished he could know more about Claude, all of him. It’s just that he didn’t expect that it would come with old scars from the other that had yet to heal.

“You know...” Claude broke the silence, a sad smile forming on his lips. “Never did I think that I would eventually show somebody this side of me.” His head tilted down ever so slightly, like he wanted to hide away. “Showing this to you, let alone telling you...I had no idea how to go about it.”

Dimitri’s gaze softened by just how small Claude looked at the moment. Even if it was only the two of them in this ethereal sanctuary, the overwhelming emotions Claude felt from just letting out what he hid made him feel anxious, as if he was watched by a crowd on a stage.

“Claude...you had never told anyone this before?”

“No.” And he laughed, though it lacked the joy it was meant to have. “Before you, I never disclosed this part of my life. Even Tita Judith doesn’t know the whole story. No one did.”

“But why did you close it away?” Dimitri asked, daring to touch Claude’s arm, grip strong yet surprisingly gentle. “What was it about your past that you didn’t like?”

For that, Claude’s lip wobbled, and he dipped his head until it touched Dimitri’s shoulder. His face buried in the other’s comforting frame. “Just the bad experiences and feelings that came with it, I guess...which was why I didn’t let anyone see my true form.” The brunette’s head buried itself deeper, in an effort to mask the tears about to leak out of his eyes. 

“Almost all my life, I had to face my home being threatened by invaders—I had to learn how to fight, use my powers to help the people within the Sultanates survive. It was rare for me to relax after I moved past my childhood...there were times that Spanish invaders tried to catch us off-guard.”

Claude sniffled as a pause, and as a response, Dimitri moved his arm to wrap around the other’s shaking figure. “Then, my parents died, and so I had to face those waves of intruders almost on my own. I used to think that my parents would live forever, since they were the Sarimanok and the Adarna, powerful birds of myth. But...I was proven wrong when they passed on.”

“It didn’t end there, right?” Dimitri whispered.

“Oh, it didn’t.” Claude let out a chuckle, an empty and breathless one. “Then the World War happened, with even more invaders breaching my home. Just when I thought I would be facing them alone...”

“...He came.” Dimitri finished, and he can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy from that. Seeing Claude with someone else at that point in time, part of Dimitri wished he was the one there. Though, the blonde remembered that this moment now isn’t about him.

It’s about Claude.

“Yes. A soldier, part of the troops sent to Lanao to help liberate the place. At first, I was wary—he was American, one of those peoples who tried to subjugate my home and the people there.” Claude shifted his head, closer to Dimitri’s chest, hearing the ever-beating heart of the other. “But I learned that he wasn’t like the other foreigners I’ve encountered—if anything, he actually hated that his people before him tried to conquer my home. From there, my view about him changed...and soon, well...” His cheeks tinted a fair red. 

“The time I had with him was among the happiest moments of my long life—we shared the same hope that one day we would know peace, and eventually, be together in that peace.”

“But...he didn’t make it.” Dimitri stated sadly, moving his hand to comfortingly hold Claude’s head for the inevitable.

From that point, the first tear leaked down Claude’s face. Then another. And more came in silent streams. “We promised that we would come home to each other...but he just had to take that mission. Then he was taken away so soon—I could hardly recognize him with the blood that covered his face and body.” He sniffled again. “I would never forget his last words...they’ve haunted me the days after the war ended.”

—————————-

Throughout this moment, Dimitri only held Claude soothingly, understanding and willing to let the latter let out his pain that he held back for so long. Claude was thankful that Dimitri was here with him this time, with the comforting touches and holds the other teen was giving him aiding his emotional state.

Claude continued speaking despite his tears blurring his eyes and his words slurring from it. “After that, I just wanted to sleep. So I did—for a very long time. After that, I woke up again in the 1970’s, and I hoped that peace was finally achieved for my home.” His face grimaced. “Though it wasn’t long before I heard that rebels clashed with the government located in Luzon.”

Dimitri kept rubbing Claude’s back throughout. “How did you feel...knowing that your parents’ homes were opposing each other?”

“I won’t lie—I was conflicted.” Claude responded. “On one hand, I recognized why the rebels wanted to separate from the country and create their own; they have carried the burden of their ancestors fighting off those breaching their lands. On the other end, with the innocent people in both Luzon and Mindanao getting hurt for the misdeeds of only a handful of people and the fact that the rebels’ motives slowly changed to something more extreme...I just couldn’t let that slide.”

“So you tried to help usher in the peace process? Tried to find a resolution for both sides?”

“Yes. I even learned about my mother’s home in Luzon, and I realized that the people there weren’t so different—religions notwithstanding, they’ve seen hardship too, and many of them wanted peace to come for Mindanao.” By now, Claude’s tears lessened, and his sobs became silent. “There were of course, some who had prejudiced views about Mindanao, seeing the land as ‘a home for terrorists’, but I opted to change their views about it.” His lips turned upward in a tiny smile, the first time since the beginning of this whole thing. “It was going well, slow, but it was working. The government and the rebels compromised to give autonomy to Lanao and the other former sultanate territories, despite occasional attacks.”

“But...Marawi happened, right?” Dimitri added, his voice small.

Claude’s eyes glossed once more, but he was quick to hold the tears back this time. “I never thought that the city I once lived in would eventually be engulfed in a full out confrontation. For the first time since the World War, I moved to try and aid the people there actively. Yet, I got gravely injured in the attempt, and I had to live in Manila to both recuperate and settle.” His hazel-green eyes were dull as he continued. “Marawi has yet to fully recover from its most recent scar, and how I wish the people there would finally be able to come home to their city.” Claude finally concluded his story, and Dimitri took a pause just to take this all in.

————————————

There was no denying it; Claude had been through a lot, and from the way he recounted his tale, the agony from recalling the memories was still fresh in Claude’s mind, as if it was still yesterday. Which only made sense, as Claude was one who lived for so long as a bird of myth.

Dimitri would do anything to help heal those old wounds, anything to see his dear rainbow bird smile once more. He saw that Claude wasn’t as jovial as he showed on the outside, and still...it only made Dimitri want him more. Dimitri, since he was brought to Piedras Platas, was already willing to accept this truth, and ready to fully love Claude for who he was, in and out.

Speaking of which, Claude broke the silence, addressing Dimitri once more. “You must be repulsed, right? Hearing just how much sadness I have inside?” He gave another sad smile, one that was shaking from the sobs that threatened to escape. “You’ve only seen the happier side of me—how could you want the less-desirable parts that I had showed you earlier?” His lungs exhaled a shaky breath. “Mahal na mahal kita, Dimitri—I have fallen for you, since that day in Luneta. But how could someone so wonderful as you choose someone as—as broken like me?”

This was it, if Dimitri thought that now’s a good time to say what he wanted to say, now it was. The hand that rested on Claude’s back now rested on the brunette’s cheek, stroking it in that same tender manner. Without thinking, Claude leaned against the touch. Opening his mouth, Dimitri let out his words, his truth.

“Because...mahal din kita.”

Claude let out a little gasp when he heard those three little words. He couldn’t believe what he had actually heard. 

Dimitri repeated what he just said. “Mahal kita, Claude. I wished to tell you that for so long, yet I didn’t know how to say it right. When you showed me the part of you that you kept away for so long, it only made me love you more. That you were willing to share all of yourself to me...I wish to do the same for you.”

The rainbow bird in human form could not hold back the overwhelming joy in his heart. His hazel-green eyes shone bright, both from his powers and his tears glossing them. As much as he longed to hold back from crying again, Dimitri put a stop to it when he stroked his thumb just beneath Claude’s eyelid. 

“Please, Claude...don’t hide away anymore. Let it out.”

Then the dam broke. Claude quickly buried his head against Dimitri’s chest, letting out all of the agony for the first time since he lost his first love. He cried and cried, his sobs loud and echoing in the silence of the sanctuary. Claude wrapped his arms around Dimitri’s frame, clinging to the other so tightly, afraid if he let go, Dimitri would disappear in front of him.

“Dimitri...Dima—“ Claude hiccuped, sobbing. 

Dimitri’s bright blue eyes also glossed with tears, a few of them streaming down out of empathy for his love. From that, he reciprocated Claude’s grip with his own, holding him close, still giving the other the most protective gestures he’s ever given. 

“Claude...” Dimitri whispered into Claude’s ear. “I wish...and I vow to give you the happiness that you truly deserve. Let me love you with all of my heart, give you all that I wish to give. If loving you was a crime, I’d still choose to love you without regret.”

Claude smiled, though it was different from his previous ones, as this was a smile that was genuine and grateful in spite of the tears and sobs. The ivory sky of Piedras Platas gave a backlight to Claude’s frame, showing Dimitri just how beautiful the other boy really is.

“Since you chose me...then I will choose you too.” Claude spoke out, letting his head move close to the other’s forehead. Dimitri reciprocated by letting his own forehead touch with Claude’s. Their breaths intermingled, taking in the serenity of this moment, tears and all flowing down their faces. 

“I love you. Don’t leave me.”

Dimitri echoed his answer. “I love you too. I won’t ever leave.”

Then their eyes closed, and the gap became obsolete, as their lips at last met in their first kiss. It was a wonderful touch, the kiss tender and able to convey all of the love that can’t be said through simple words. Claude tilted his head to take in more of the intimate contact of Dimitri’s lips, them becoming a sweet taste that he didn’t want to lose. In turn, Dimitri pulled Claude ever so close in his arms, moving one of his hands to the back of the latter’s head to make the kiss last longer.

Around them, the grass and the silver-gold tree of Piedras Platas flowed with the wind that gently blew by. In this sanctuary, their own little world that they have made, Dimitri and Claude were the only ones in the moment; nothing else mattered to them.

Sadly, the kiss had to end, as the need for air became a must. The two pulled away, faces red, breathing heavily. Their foreheads still touched each other, and Claude closed his eyes, his smile ever so tender. His arms wrapped around Dimitri’s shoulders in an intimate hold. Dimitri’s eyes looked on to Claude’s, ever so fond of the boy in front of him.

“When all of this is over...if ever you pass on and reincarnate...will you come home to me?”

Dimitri then closed his eyes, letting his hand stroke Claude’s cheek again.

“Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> “Mahal na mahal kita, Dimitri.”: I love you so much, Dimitri.
> 
> “Mahal din kita.”: I love you too.
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> Hoo boi, that was such a chapter! I hope you guys are still alright.
> 
> There’s gonna be an epilogue, which will be set on Dimitri’s birthday, so stay tuned!
> 
> Feel free to give feedback. :)


	19. Epilogue: A Most Unexpected Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since they got together, Dimitri and Claude have remained inseparable.
> 
> Now it’s Dimitri’s birthday, and he has been given a present to remember. One that has him looking forward to more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is...the epilogue for this story. 
> 
> Enjoy reading this final new addition to this piece.

Since the heartfelt confession the two had shared beneath the tree of Piedras Platas, Dimitri and Claude remained inseparable.

Eventually, they did tell the rest of their schoolmates, including the true identity of Claude, and the responses ranged from downright surprised to smug from speculating the seemingly obvious. The two didn’t care about it though; they just wanted to relish in the joy of being together. Which they did through various dates that they shared since.

It was now December 20, a very special day as it was Dimitri’s birthday, finally growing one year older. For that, the whole friend group of Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix, as well as a few of their schoolmates, had arrived to celebrate in Dimitri and Edelgard’s house in McKinley. 

Everyone had a grand time with the party; there was a karaoke machine that blasted in the downstairs living room, and Dorothea was taking the lead in selecting the songs. Edelgard was in charge of bringing the soda to their fellow collegemates, Sylvain had encouraged Ignatz to join in the dance along. Felix did the unthinkable of smuggling some San Miguel beer to the party, but it made the whole place livelier. Ingrid was there for damage control, Hubert and Ferdinand enjoyed the coffee and tea that was also served in the occasion. Then Lysithea dug into the sugar cookies made by Dimitri and Edelgard’s parents, not caring if she had some crumbs on her face.

As for the birthday boy himself, he wasn’t with any of them; rather, Dimitri was in the privacy of his bedroom. With him, as always, was Claude, ever so delighted to be in his lover’s company, and even more so now that he’s spending the first birthday with Dimitri.

“So, what was it that you wanted to give me?” Dimitri asked. Claude hadasked him earlier to go together in the birthday boy’s bedroom for ‘a very special present’. A bit suspicious by how Claude sounded, especially from the sing-song way he said the request earlier, Dimitri still obliged anyways.

“I never imagined that you would give me a surprise present—-but knowing you, I shouldn’t have been too puzzled.”

Claude laughed. “True, and as those few months ago had proved, I’ve been so full of surprises. Now—“ The brunette put both of his hands behind his back, smile turning cheeky. “Close your eyes.~”

Dimitri rolled his eyes fondly from Claude’s tone, and closed them as told. Claude hummed a little tune, grabbing Dimitri’s hands and opening his palms. He then placed a small box atop them, and stepped back. “Maligayang Bati, Dimitri! ‘Buksan mo!”

The birthday boy opened his eyes and beheld the sight of the present in his hands. It was a small, light blue box, the lid being a slightly darker shade. Atop the present box was a tiny little bow for that cute touch.

“It’s not the biggest or the fanciest present, but...I thought of you throughout the process of putting it together.” Claude admitted.

Dimitri smiled from that. “Thank you. Now let’s see...” He lifted up the lid, and in the box, was a simple, baby blue handkerchief. Upon closer inspection, there was a little lump beneath the fabric, and so Dimitri lifted it up to reveal a necklace, with a small bundle of feathers decorated to resemble a star-like shape. 

“This is...” Dimitri began, almost at a loss for words, his lips becoming even wider in its grin. Despite its simplicity, Dimitri could feel the dedication and care that was put into these items. In particular, the necklace, with its gradient rainbow feathers being an eye-catcher certainly to Dimitri.

“That blue handkerchief, I bought that first since I lost yours, and so I wanted to replace it.” Claude explained. “Then the necklace, I just plucked some smaller feathers from myself, and created that design. I wanted to give a part of me to you, as, well...a form of thanks. For being with me.”

Dimitri couldn’t resist a few tears of joy slipping from his eyes. His hand lifted up the necklace, and with Claude’s assistance, wore it around his neck. “It’s beautiful...Claude—how can I thank you?”

For that, Claude simply stepped closer to Dimitri, his face moving close to the other’s, breath a mere whisper. “A kiss is one way, among other things...I won’t be opposed to anyway you wish to express it.” Claude’s hand slipped over Dimitri’s chest, tantalizing and teasing. “It is your birthday, after all.”

There went Dimitri’s self-restraint; he wrapped his arms around Claude and gave him a passionate kiss. This one let out the feelings of gratitude and love he had for Claude, his dear rainbow bird. Dimitri openly moaned through the lip lock, desiring more in this expression of thanks.

Claude, satisfied he got what he and Dimitri mutually wanted, grasped the back of the latter’s blue sweatshirt, opening his mouth as it went on to take it all. The box dropped down to their feet, momentarily forgotten, for they certainly had bigger priorities to take care of.

After a few more minutes of their makeout, they pulled away, exhaling and sharing a laugh. 

“That was one heck of a thank you.” Claude teased, pulling out a feather, and with a tiny peck to it, tossed it up to let it burst into rose petals that showered all over them. Amidst the falling petals, Dimitri caught that genuine smile in Claude’s lips. He moved closer, wrapping his arms around Claude’s waist in a loose hold.

“I love you, Claude.” He gave a lingering kiss to Claude’s forehead. “My prince of many colors.”

Claude buried his face in Dimitri’s neck, taking in his lover’s comforting scent. Never had he felt this much bliss being with the one he loved.

“And I you. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> “Maligayang Bati, Dimitri! ‘Buksan mo!”: Happy Birthday, Dimitri! Open it!
> 
> Additional Notes:
> 
> And so ends The Prince of Many Colors. Thanks so much for taking on this month-long journey with me and my chapters.   
> Though it’s not the end of Dimitri and Claude’s love story, and this whole Archipelago’s Mythos verse in general.   
> In fact, I’m in the process of making the next oneshot for this verse, after Solar and Lunar (the first oneshot and overall second entry to this series). It will focus on Hubert, the Mambabarang called the Butterfly of Death, his life and developing crush on a certain redheaded guy. :3
> 
> Feel free to give feedback below, as always! Thank you so much!


End file.
